


Sleight of Hand

by ghostlace



Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Becky and Charlotte are a terrifying duo, Dean makes bad decisions, M/M, Nikki goes along with the bad decisions, Violence, basically a heist au, big brother deano, morally ambiguous jobs, slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-07-17
Packaged: 2019-10-12 08:15:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 113,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17463875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostlace/pseuds/ghostlace
Summary: “I can’t give you the whole picture but I want you to know that you’re in danger Dean Ambrose, and if you keep running for the wrong people, and believe me you are running for them, you are going to get hurt”*The world is changing. The powers that control the city are destabilising and Dean Ambrose... Dean Ambrose is about to be right in the middle of it.





	1. Go For Broke

Dean was about 5 minutes and something else going wrong away from finding Tommaso Ciampa and shoving his boot so far up his ass the man would be smelling rubber for a week. He dropped off the main street into an alleyway and flattened out on a wall, his chest heaving as his hand tightened around the USB drive in his pocket. 

“Eat my shit, Ciampa” He muttered to himself as he fished around for his phone. He was going to call Nikki and get the USB off his hands as fast as possible. This would be the last time he was going to work with Ciampa and Gargano. He was over the melodramatics of the pair. He would take his cut and go. He unlocked his phone and tapped in the number for his best friend and partner, Nikki Cross, rotating the little stick in his pocket. He was just about to call her when he noticed bright eyes staring at him from a recess across from him.

A man dressed in dark tight-fitting clothes was silently staring at him, two-toned hair pulled back in a tight bun. Dean knew that face. And he knew the cocky smile that went with it.

Seth Rollins.

Dean didn’t make a move, instead choosing to engage in a silent staring contest with his finger hovering above the call button.

“Hand it over and you can go, Ambrose” Seth said finally, breaking the silence. He took a step towards Dean, his hand outstretched. Dean raised his eyebrows in response. He had already started tensing on the balls of his feet, ready to run or fight. 

“I’d honestly rather not, Rollins” He answered with a disgusted emphasis on the name of the other man. Seth moved too close for comfort.

Seth whistled lowly “Wasn’t giving you a choice, man, hand it over”

“Ooh, when did you get so brave, Sethie? Last time you just hit me over the head with the butt of a gun, stole my paycheck and split, nice to see you breaking with tradition”

Seth’s mouth pressed into a thin line. Dean could see his hand moving towards the waistband of his pants imperceptibly and he immediately switched his contacts. He needed Lynch if shit was going to go south. Becky was his go to if he needed violent backup. He’d also rather that she found him if he ended up in a ditch than Nikki. Thankfully, Seth didn’t go for the gun Dean could see on his hip, but instead, he went for his pocket and fished out an identical USB drive to the one Dean had.

“I have a proposal”

“Aw Seth, I honestly pictured a nice ring when you proposed, I have enough USB drives already, doll” Dean said flatly. There was no humour in his voice. Dean couldn’t quite work out what was going on. It was clearly a trap but it also had him interested. He locked his phone instead of pressing call.

“You know what I mean, Ambrose” Seth said sharply “Give me the drive you have and give this to Ciampa instead”

Dean chuckled.

“And why in the hell would I do that, sweetheart?”

“Fucking- I can’t believe you- DIY aren’t the good guys, Dean, they’re using you to get information that could potentially harm- never mind, I knew you wouldn’t listen”

“Hey, hey, I never said I wouldn’t listen, you’re just not giving me a full story”

Seth looked down at the USB in his hand and rolled it between his fingers. 

“I can’t give you the whole picture but I want you to know that you’re in danger Dean Ambrose, and if you keep running for the wrong people, and believe me you are running for them, you are going to get hurt”

Seth held the drive out to Dean. He looked sincere and that was something Dean hadn’t seen on anyone’s face for a long time. It screamed danger. Dean’s hand tightened around the drive in his pocket, the edges of the metal starting to dig into his palm.

“As if you care about what happens to me, Rollins”

Seth’s mouth opened and closed as he struggled for words. The scream of wheels, however, broke them both from their silence. Seth shoved the other drive into Dean’s free pocket and turned. The sound of footsteps was enough for Dean not to argue as the other man sprinted off into the dark. Dean watched him go as he sunk back into the shadows of the wall he was pressed against.

It was Nikki.

He heaved a sigh of relief as she approached him, her smile growing wide and toothy in return as she finally caught sight of Dean. 

“There you are, Deano! You look like you’ve seen a ghostie! Wis it scary? Bet I scared it aff!”

He chuckled and straightened up, wrapping his arm around his shorter counterpart.

“Yeah, suppose it was a ghost and you definitely scared him off…” He shot a glance back down the alleyway but there was no sign of Seth despite the fact it’s was a dead end. Nikki didn’t seem to notice his distraction and instead dragged him towards the car she’d haphazardly parked up at the end of the road. She pulled out the key and unlocked the car before passing it to Dean to drive.

Nikki darted into the passenger side, throwing her legs up onto the dashboard as Dean settled into the driver’s seat. She held her hand out to Dean, giving him a meaningful stare. He passed his phone to her and she messed around with it for a second before turning it off and throwing it back.

“Tell me what happened, Dean… now, now now!” 

She’d switched into a more serious Nikki mode, gone was her playful demeanour. Dean was always surprised at how fast she could switch between the crazed, playful persona and the lucid serious Scot next to him in the car. Her moments of self-imposed clarity were short and like someone had taken the thing that made her, out of her.

“He’s following me, Seth Rollins, I think he’s fucking with me”

Nikki immediately sat up to attention, whipping her legs down from the dashboard. She cracked her neck to the side to look at Dean. He attempted to keep his attention on the road but he didn’t miss the range of emotions that Nikki’s face flashes through. She went from angry to excited in seconds with a stop off at nervous on the way.

“Fun! I canny wait to play a game with him!” She was sliding back into the Nikki he knew best, the confusing and dangerous Nikki who saw it all as a game. It was a game. Just a dangerous one “What game’s he playing, Deano? Something fun?”

“Bait and Switch” He said firmly as he took one hand off the wheel to fish for the fake drive. She immediately pulled a laptop from the backseat and plugged the drive into the USB slot, tapping her fingers across the keys.

“Ooh! Fakey Fake!” She murmured under her breath in her broad accent. She looked gleeful as Dean puts the address for the drop off into the GPS. She was giggling to herself as she pulled the drive back out “It’s a virus! Just killed ma laptop!”

“Nikki!”

“Ah wanted to know what Rollins has in store for DIY!” She argued as she placed the drive onto the dashboard in front of them “What do you think we should dae?”

“I don’t think we trust Seth anyway, not after he left me for Hunter’s security to pick up”

Dean tightened his grip on the wheel as he remembered exactly why he hated everything about Seth. He didn’t want Rollins messing around in his business

He’d stumbled across Seth’s little operation trying to overload the computer systems at Triple H’s place when he was trying to retrieve a file for a client. He got the file with relative ease only to be knocked out by Seth. He found out after he’d been beaten within an inch of his life by Hunter’s guards that Seth had auctioned it off to the highest bidder and left Dean to face the wrath of Triple H. 

Seth had no respect for a thief’s code. He was a rat, plain and simple. Dean couldn’t afford to take another hit.

“If we do this, we lose DIY forever” Dean mused as he took a sharp right. Nikki gave a sage nod, snapping her laptop closed.

“Yeah, but that’s fine right, besides, I don’t like either of them… all secrets an’ secrets an mair secrets! It would be fun, Deano! Let’s do it! Come on, Dean, Lets!”

Nikki could be very persuasive when she was excited. Dean fought the urge to laugh as he pulled up in front of the mansion that was the headquarters of DIY. 

“I don’t know why we just didn’t stick with Velveteen and Aleister, at least they were fun” Dean sighed as he pulled the other drive from his pocket.

“I tried to lick Dreamy’s face, don’t you remember?” Nikki blinked twice, staring at Dean who laughed.

“Yeah, I remember, though I think I also told Aleister to stop doing his weird magic shit on me and he was mad about that too” 

“They were fun… I wanna play with them again!”

“You’ll be lucky if Velveteen hasn’t already put a restraining order on you, Cross”

They sat in silence for a moment, staring out the window at the headquarters of DIY. This side of the city pretty much ran under their control now with a few sections standing as the last strongholds of Hunter. It was a new generation of control. Aleister and Velveteen were starting to crack it though. They’d regained control of small sections of what was DIY turf with the help of Dean, Nikki, and Lynch and the rest of her girls and they’d kept a hold of it. With any luck, they’d start to gain more ground even without Dean and Nikki doing their dirty work.

Nikki tossed the fake drive to Dean with a mischievous smile.

“Let’s play?”

“Let’s play.”

This was a war. And they were going to start playing dirty.

DIY’s study was modern but understated. Where their past employers Dream and Black’s headquarters had been cluttered with books and full of interesting scents and colours, this one was all dark colours with a flash of red here and there. It was entirely all too boring for Dean, it was a classic supervillain look and he was over it. Ciampa was in the chair behind his desk, scribbling something down on a book being held out by Gargano. Johnny was the only one of the pair to acknowledge their arrival, looking up at the two with a smile. Dean was uncomfortably sure Gargano was in the same situation as he had been when he started, a good guy doing the wrong things. Now Dean would probably categorise his work as morally grey and doing whatever was fun and dangerous.

“Dean! Nikki! Good to see you both!” Johnny chirped, placing the book down in front of Ciampa who looked up with a scowl.

“The drive, Ambrose, where is it?” 

Ciampa got to the point fast. Dean rolled his eyes and faked searching through his pockets for a minute to make Tommaso uncomfortable. He took extra care to definitely drop old candy bar wrappers on the floor as he searched. Nikki made a dive for a half-eaten Snickers bar, stuffing it in her mouth with an excited squeal. Tommaso gave her a look as if he’d just seen a rat scurry out from a crack in the wall. Nikki, however, didn’t notice.

“Ambrose, hurry up so you and your little… friend can get out of here” Ciampa growled lowly. Dean sighed and finally produced the small drive, throwing it on the desk in front of the two.

“Thank you, both of you, your work is invaluable”

Yeah, Gargano was right. They were invaluable. The city ran on thieves and hackers like Dean and Nikki. Hunter would have never got power if it wasn’t for the man who was Dean’s mentor. Sure, he had Shawn and Vince’s own daughter Stephanie on his side when he finally took down McMahon, but Dean’s mentor made sure it could happen. He was the one who’d gotten Hunter in and out before the alarms could be triggered. He was the one who had stolen every file Vince had on the city’s elite. He was the one who’d handed over the passwords to Shawn and watched the whole of Vince’s operation crumble from afar. Nobody had seen him since the fall.

And nobody remembered him.

Apart from Dean. Dean couldn’t forget him.

“Go. We’ll be in contact if we want anything else procured. Send the payment, Johnny”

Dean nodded and wrangled the still chewing Nikki from the room and out into the hall. A tone from Nikki’s jacket pocket told him they’d gotten their payment through. It was time to run before-

“AMBROSE!”

Nikki immediately was running flat out down the stairs, her chocolate abandoned at the top of the main staircase. Dean was a beat behind her, taking 2 steps at a time to draw level as they hit the entrance hall. Security was pouring out of side doors towards them, guns drawn. Nikki flew at the face of the man guarding the door, scratching at his face with her nails. He dropped his weapon with a surprised yelp and Dean scooped it up as Nikki brought the man to the floor. She tore her nails into his face for a moment before scrambling to her feet. He kicked open the door as a bullet skimmed his calf, making him hiss. He felt strong hands pushing him forward into the outside, propelling him out and down the stairs. 

Nikki was dragging him now, swearing in a broad Scottish accent as she spurred him across the large open grounds. He dropped the gun at his feet, wrenching himself from Nikki’s grip to run properly. It was only a scratch. Probably. Bullets whipped into the ground as they ran until they were scaling over the tall iron fence and dropping down onto the street at the other side. 

They were meters from their car when the van pulled up in front of them. The back doors opened and dark, masked figures gestured for them to jump in. They shared a look between them. This screamed trap.

Their decision was made for them as Dean glanced back towards the mansion. Ciampa and Gargano were storming out, looking absolutely murderous.

“Fuck it”

Dean grabbed his smaller friend and practically carried her the last few steps. He bundled them both into the back of the van, watching as the doors slammed shut behind them. They lay on the floor of the van together, heaving in breaths of air in the darkness as the van screeched away. None of the people in the back took their masks off or lowered their hoods, instead they hunched down together away from Dean and Nikki.

Nikki rolled about on her back excitedly, stretching her hands and legs up into the air as the van tossed her about. Dean shuffled up onto his butt and moved to lean against the side, keeping a protective eye on Nikki. She was practically his little sister and if anything happened to her… well, he’d feel awful but he’d also be murdered by her pack of loveable weirdos.

He sat in the semi-darkness staring back defiantly at the figures who were definitely staring at him and Nikki. There were 3 of them, all of varying heights and body mass. Dean wasn’t sure if he and Nikki could take them if it all went south. They’d sure try it though. 

The van slammed to a halt and Nikki rolled her way towards Dean with an amused grin on her face.

“Can we do it again, Dean?”

“Nikki, I was shot.” He hissed under his breath to her.

“Yeah, but we had fun!”

She tilted her head to the side, the crazed grin still plastered on her face. His expression softened as he laughed quietly at his friend.

“Yeah, we did”

“Are you two done?” A voice from behind a mask enquired. It was a lilting Irish accent muffled under black fabric. Someone from outside opened the door.

“Let’s go, Fellas”

Nikki practically jumped out of the door onto the figure outlined by white light, squealing excitedly. Dean squinted as long red hair framing a face started to come into focus.

“Becky!”

*

Becky Lynch, Nikki’s favourite woman on the planet, all around badass and leader of the Fatales stormed through a large warehouse with Dean, Nikki and the 3 still masked people in tow. Dean had assumed at first it was Lynch's Fatale headquarters, after all, the best guns for hire in the city surely would have had a place of operations, but it looked empty. It was like Lynch had simply raided the place and decided to keep it for herself.

Dean walking straight into a barrel of fish confirmed the theory. It also let him know the location. It had to be the docks, the salty smell in the air, the fish and the gulls screeching outside all but confirmed it. Dean also confirmed that his leg was still stinging like a bitch.

One of the men behind him sighed and practically picked him up, setting him back on his feet and pushing him after Lynch and the happy Nikki who was grasping the taller woman’s hand.

“Thanks” Dean muttered.

“Don’t mention it” Returned a deep voice. Dean grinned and hurried after Nikki who was just about to burst with excitement.

Becky came to a stop in the middle of the large room. It was empty, minus barrels of fish and the odd length of rope. She turned to look at Dean, wrapping her arm around Nikki’s shoulders. The little Scot beamed with pride. Cross was a former Fatale under Lynch before she headed out to work with Dean, but she still harboured an intense admiration for the leader. She’d learned her ruthlessness from her after all.

“Good to see you did the right thing, Dean!”

Dean laughed slightly and folded his arms. Nikki elbowed Becky lightly in the ribs and shook her head.

“Don’t be silly Becky, we did the fun thing!”

A flicker of emotion passed over Lynch’s face, but she pushed it off. Clearly, she wasn’t in the mood to have fun. Dean flipped to damage control as he produced the real USB, waving it in front of his face.

“Yeah, yeah, we did the right thing, now spill why you want this”

Becky sighed and pulled her arm off of Nikki’s shoulders. Nikki skipped over to join Dean, joining him in his folded arm stance. She took a few steps towards Dean and raised one arm, indicating the warehouse around her.

“This town is rotting under DIY and Hunter, Ambrose and you know it” She said quietly, enunciating every word with a vicious emphasis “And everyone in this room is part of the problem, but here you could be the solution” She motioned for the three men to join her. Ambrose reached up to start tapping at his collarbone nervously. This wasn’t his ideal Friday night. Lynch continued her speech, paying mininal attention to Dean’s shift in stance “This is where it starts, kids, here we take down all these idiots vying for power and place someone in charge who’ll do what’s best for the city”

Dean frowned, trying to understand.

“And who would that be then? Who’s your mystery saviour”

“Black and Dream. With our help.”

Becky was looking at him with true passion in her eyes. She looked like she believed what she was saying.

Dean considered his options. Hunter had had an order out on him since the incident, it made life a living hell when he just wanted to go out and be normal for a bit. Not that what Dean considered normal was normal, but he just didn’t want to be hassled by Helmsley’s lot. Now, he had no DIY to turn to when things got rough.

All he really had left as viable employers were Velveteen Dream and Aleister Black.

“Fine, we’re in, who else is in?”

Becky chuckled.

“Charlotte Flair.”

Dean whistled lowly.

“Lynch and Flair? Oh, that’ll be fun!” Dean wiggled his brows. Becky rolled her eyes “And them? They’re not Fatales, and that sure isn’t good looking enough to be gear your girlfriend chose”

Now it was Becky’s turn to look cocky.

“These guys? Well, they’re… well, why don’t you introduce yourself fellas”

The shortest was already pulling his hood down. His hand was outstretched as he pulled his mask off. His smile was 1000 watts and he looked genuinely excited to meet Dean and Nikki. He was unusually un-marred for the career he was in and a real pretty boy too. Nikki was the first to grab his hand, shaking wildly. 

“I’m Balor, Finn Balor” He grinned. Dean took his hand for a brief shake. His accent denoted that he was, in fact, Irish one from the van. Dean frowned as he tried to place the name, Balor was too unusual not to know, but he couldn’t think where he’d heard it. Probably Becky now he thought about it. 

He shook his head and turned his attention to the taller man who was unmasking. Long dark hair tumbled out from under the hood, covering his face as he fidgeted with his mask. He lifted his face with a smile. Dean was a little taken aback by how handsome he was.

“Reigns. Roman Reigns. Good to meet you in person finally, both of you”

He offered his hand to Nikki who almost shook his hand from its socket. He took it well, smiling good-naturedly at the girl before turning his attention to Dean. He smiled warmly at Dean when he took his hand and Dean just had to return that smile. Roman Reigns was definitely hot.

He was just about to let go of Roman’s hand when he turned to the last person.

Dean expected a million other people to appear. And for some reason, Seth Rollins was at the bottom of the list.

He started back and made a noise that he was sure he’d never recreate. He dropped Roman’s arm and shot Seth the most violent look he could. Nikki stuck out her hand to shake before realising who it was.

“Dean, Nikki. Good to see you both alive”

Dean immediately wrapped his arms around Nikki before she could punch the man square in the jaw. The three men recoiled slightly. Lynch looked amused. 

“Sorry there, Becks, got history with Rat boy there, Nikki really wants to kill him”

“Ah’ll fucking dae him in man!” The Scot exclaimed. Rollins took a step backwards. Nikki started to chant in Seth’s direction, still managing to look vaguely menacing from the arms of Ambrose “Rat! Rat! Rat!”

“Nikki! Leave it!” Dean snapped with a growl. Nikki immediately relaxed, still frowning deeply in Seth’s direction. He let her go slowly, making sure she wasn’t going to fly off the handle at Seth. Becky sighed.

“That’s enough of all that, we need to get set up, I don’t care if you all hate each other. Nikki, you’re with me, I’ve missed my favourite hacker”

Seth looked almost scandalised at the suggestion that he wasn’t the best in the room for a second before he noticed the look Becky threw his way. She swept Nikki away out of a door at the other end of the room, leaving Dean with the three men. Dean scowled, tapping away at his collar bone so roughly he was sure he could bruise the skin.

“So… Dean Ambrose?” Roman tried, attempting to diffuse the tension.

“Yeah, what’s it to you, big guy?” Dean shot back. Roman held up his hands defensively, laughing slightly to himself. 

“Woah, peace, peace, I’m not coming for you man!” Roman said quietly as he dropped his hands “I’m just wondering who you two are that Lynch was desperate for us to straight up kidnap you both”

Dean opened his mouth to speak before closing it again. It was a good question. Who were Dean Ambrose and Nikki Cross? Why would Becky Lynch want them? 

“I’m just a thief, dude, Nikki’s the one Becky wants, I’m just extra” Dean shrugged. Seth snorted and Dean whipped his head towards him immediately “What? Got something to say? Gonna smack me while my backs turned again?”

The colour seemed to drain from Seth’s face for a second and he shifted under Dean’s gaze. 

“You two clearly have some issues yer going to have to work out” Finn sighed before motioning to Dean “Anyway, Let’s get you set up”

“Set up?”

“Oh, come on man, we got you some good gear” Roman grinned and patted his shoulder. Dean suddenly felt very awful for being an ass. Roman nodded to a set of metal stairs leading upwards to the walkway that looked down on the room below. Reigns was about to lead the way when Seth cut in front of him, skipping the stairs entirely in favour of shimmying up one of the supporting posts. He whipped up under the railing of the walkway and disappeared from view.

“Show off” Dean grumbled under his breath. Finn started to laugh but quickly put a stop to it when Seth coughed loudly from the level above.

“Are you going to stay down there?”

Dean pulled a face. He considered following Seth’s lead for a moment and scaling up just to prove he could but settled for following Roman. It was a far better view. The level was surprisingly cosy looking, beanbags scattered around with a minifridge chugging away in one corner. Dean squinted. This was an odd situation he found himself in. Rollins had settled into a beanbag, his feet up on a black box while he scrolled through his phone looking uninterested.

“So, mini-fridge for drinks and snacks if we’re too busy to run and get food, then there’s the beanbags for naps, gear goes into yer own colour-coded box” Finn explained. He tapped a bright blue box with his foot “Blue things are mine, Black’s Seth’s, Red’s Roman’s box and yer gonna be yellow. We have stickers so you can colour everything you like”

Roman nodded to the yellow box.

“Everything’s in there!”

Dean took a step towards it and squatted down to open the box. He stopped for a moment, his hands on the plastic of the lid “What- Who are you guys anyway? Like, the Fatales are hackers and guns, I’m a thief, what are you guys?”

“We’re the best, which I suppose that’s why you’re here, she thinks that you’re the best” Seth cut in, dropping his phone onto his stomach “I’m sceptical, Ambrose, about your actual usefulness, after all, there’s plenty of thieves and I could do a thief’s job with ease”

Dean stared down at his hands, splaying them out on the yellow plastic.

“Hey -Seth- you don’t have t’ be a dick. Becky suggested him-“

“You can’t say that you honestly believe he can be that good!”

“Seth, that’s enough!”

“Roman, He’s only here because he trained under… he's only here because he trained under Regal!” 

Yes, of course, that was the only reason he was there.

Dean drummed his fingers on the plastic, trying to keep his breathing steady. He stood in one fluid motion and turned towards the men behind him with vehement anger growing inside him. He pushed it down, instead turning to Roman and Finn with an apologetic smile.

“Tell Becky I’m not... interested please.”

With that, he headed down the staircase and onto the main floor.

“Dean-Wait!” Seth called. He could hear the sound of scrambling as he stormed across the floor and out of the door. He wasn’t in the mood to mess with anything going on. Hunter and DIY be damned. If his mentor could disappear then he could too.

He pulled his phone out and turned it on, squinting at the screen as it lit up. It buzzed a few times as it started receiving messages.

CIAMPA: YOU ARE DEAD.

GARGANO: I don’t know who you’re working for but-

He didn’t bother reading the rest of it. He deleted the messages and started to type in a number he remembered off by heart. He raised the phone to his ear tentatively, eyes focusing on the horizon that stretched off across the water. It was sunrise.


	2. You're Gonna Go Far, Kid

“Dean.”

“I need out” He could feel himself shaking, the light crack in his voice as he spoke in hushed tones to the voice on the other end. The sky painted itself a million hot colours, the dark purple fading into sharp pinks and reds that ingrained themselves in his retinas. Red skies at sunrise were bad, red skies were warnings. “I need out”  
“Not now.”

“Please, I can’t-” Oranges streaked across the sky as the hot ball of gas erupted slowly but surely into view. The night was being burnt away all around him by a red-hot dawn.  
“You have so much left to do.”

“I-“

“Dean, I have never known a boy so willing to fight me when he knows that I’m right” The voice cut him off, slow and calming as it wormed its way across the surface of his brain. Red to pink, softening in the daylight, it was burning away so quickly.

“Yeah, but-“

“You’ve been running on empty for so long, my boy, and you’re so close to finishing everything I started, you just need them just as much as they need you”

His hands were still shaking as he reached up to touch his face. His fingertips came away wet but he didn’t feel sad, just empty.

“I need you to guide me! You should be here, I can’t do this alone!” His voice broke, pitching with loneliness.

The laugh that came out of the phone was hoarse. It filled Dean with a warmth that almost pushed away the empty feeling entirely. The feathery cirrus clouds drifted through the pink blue of the sky. Someone once told him that that kind of cloud promised a change. 

“Dean, trust Cross, trust Lynch, trust Flair”

“How do you know-“

“Trust Balor and Reigns… and Seth, even though you’d rather not,” There was a beat of silence as the voice attempted to decide his next words “And Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“Trust yourself, do not let anyone make you second guess yourself no matter what.” 

“Who could ever make me not trust myself?” He laughed attempting to break the tension. The man hummed a low tone sounding vaguely concerned.

“I could.” 

“That’s not the same and you know it!”

“Dean, everyone is open to manipulation and you should know that by now, even me” Dean almost settled back to get himself chewed out. It was like he was a teen again, like he’d just been caught stealing from a 7/11. Actually, if he was being accurate, he’d be getting chewed out because he was caught and not because he was stealing “Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m proud of you”

Dean took a sharp inhale of breath, a warmth blossoming in his chest. His hands weren’t shaking so much anymore. He’d made him proud.

“Thank you, Mr Regal”

Regal laughed on the other end of the phone “Dean, you can call me William you know, we should be by formalities by now”

“Yeah, yeah Mr Regal, I’m sure”

Footsteps behind him forced him to smash his finger off the end call button and shove his phone into his pants. The fact he could contact Regal was enough for him to be a threat to anyone. He whipped his head down, pretending that he didn’t realise there was someone coming and forced himself not to jump when a hand touched his back. It was too big to be Nikki or Becky’s so he knew that it has to be one of the guys. He wanted it to be Nikki so she could make him laugh, or Becky so she could tempt him back in. Hell, he'd take Charlotte Flair.

He didn’t want any of these guys who he was going to work with. Because Regal told him he had to work with them and trust them. Dean didn’t usually listen to instructions.

“You good, brother?”

It was the big guy, Roman. Dean should really have guessed. He seemed like the kind of guy to hate conflict when it came to work. 

“Yeah, fine man, just catching my breath”

“You’re coming back then?”

“Yeah.”

Dean focused down at his hands. They weren’t shaking and just to prove it to himself he tenses them and then releases. Roman hadn’t shifted his hand from the position on Dean’s back, it rested there like a comfortable weight like when Regal had bought him a weighted blanket for his bed. He’d also cut the bottom of the blanket open to hide weapons at the time, but that was to be expected.

“Becky said you would. Nikki nearly broke Seth’s nose and called him a, and I quote, Wee spineless rat, and told him that if he wanted to play with you, she wanted to play too, no idea what that means” Roman said slowly. Dean laughed at the thought of the little Scot launching herself at Seth for him.

“Means she was going to kill him, he deserves it though”

“He didn’t have any business revealing that about you man, honestly, I’m going to talk to him about it when we get home, Finn’s not happy with him either”

“Nah… it’s good, really, you would find out sooner or later, everyone does in this city”

“It’s not a bad thing though, it just means you’re the best there is”

“It puts a price on my head, you’re all expendable when I’m in the room”

Roman was silent for a moment before sighing. He moved his hand from Dean’s back like it pained him and folded his arms over his chest. Dean was certain he was going to get a lecture.

“Here’s the thing, Dean. We’re not expendable, Becky wanted the best so she chose us. You see Finn? We like to joke he made a deal with a demon in exchange for being the best munitions guy around. He could work out how much it would take to topple a building in 30 seconds flat” Roman grinned. The man closed his eyes, clearly thinking back to some past glory “Seth… is an amazing planner, he’s also the best assassin I know. He can hack and steal, but he’s not you or Cross”

“And you?”

“Muscle and conflict resolution”

“Should have guessed” Dean shrugged. Roman raised his eyebrows “I can read people pretty well, helps when you’re trying to talk your way out of something, I can tell you three were a team prior to Becky too”

Roman laughed slightly and nodded “Yeah, we’ve done some work worldwide for certain organisations”

“Anything I’d know”

“I’d hope you would, but you wouldn't know us” Roman shook his head with a sly smile. He glanced at the water of the dock, watching a bottle bob up and down in the swirling brown “Hunter’s more than this city now, Dean, and if I’m honest… We want to change the word and Becky’s offering us that opportunity”

“And DIY? And setting Black and Dream up to take over?”

“DIY are an add-on,” Roman said darkly “We’ve seen them before and we saw some shit then. Black and Dream seem… good”

“Nikki licked Velveteen’s face once. He tastes of sugar and roses” 

“Exactly, no bad guy I’ve met tastes of sugar” 

“You’ve licked many bad guys?” Dean asked with an impish grin. Roman rolled his eyes and tapped him lightly on the back of the head.

“Let’s get back inside”

The warehouse was just as they’d left it, only now Nikki and Becky were there. Nikki was balancing a shiny new laptop on her knees while she relaxed on Dean’s beanbag. She was also shooting death stares at Seth while she typed lightning fast on the keyboard without looking. Becky mouthed a ‘you good?’ to Dean who nodded, crouching down beside his friend. Nikki looked up to smile fondly at him before returning to her watchful glare at Seth.

Nikki was born of sisterhoods and brotherhoods. She’d been a fatale, then found her own gang of misfits called Sanity, then she’d found Dean as more of a side project. He wasn’t quite sure what Sanity actually did apart from sit unwashed in an apartment and eat pizza, but he was happy she had them. Plus, he kind of liked the guys, especially Wolfe. Nikki would protect her own till the last breath. Which was why she didn’t get Seth.

After all, what kind of person left someone for practically dead.

“Hey Niks, squish up” He muttered, making her shift along to let him on. She curled up against him like a big Nikki sized cat, she practically purred too. He looked down at the laptop to see her coding something. Probably nothing more than nonsense knowing Nikki. She got bored easily.

“So, before I call Charlotte and beg her to find me a new thief, please tell me you’re in,” Becky said with a hint of worry to her voice that made Dean nervous.

“Sure, I’m in, oh and just so we’re all on level since someone decided to run his big fat mouth” He glanced at Seth who rubbed his arm sheepishly “Yes, I was trained by Regal, but before you think about selling me off, I haven’t seen him since the night he left like everyone else”

It wasn’t technically a lie. Regal had shown up to tell him he was leaving and let Dean do a snotty nosed ‘please don’t abandon me’ cry before leaving. But he did have Regal’s number and the man still sent a care package of Dean’s favourite candy every month. He just didn’t know where from.

Dean kicked his feet up onto the box of his supplies, wrapping one arm around Nikki. The Scot continued her feverish typing like a woman possessed. Dean frowned as he attempted to decipher the coding. Nikki wasn’t exactly a fan of keeping things neat.

“Great! So, looks like we have our team!” Becky said almost cheerily. She ran a hand through her hair “Play nice and settle in, I need to set up accommodation for Nikki and Dean considering their apartments are being watched”

With that, Becky left the men and Nikki to their own devices, talking animatedly to Charlotte Flair on her phone as she went. Dean groaned as he stretched out his arms in front of him. He spared a thought for the stray dog he fed in the alley behind his apartment block. Poor girl would be wondering where Dean had disappeared off to. Dean would have taken her in by now if it wasn’t for the fact his landlord had made the ‘no pets’ rule very clear. He thought about the bag under his bed he always had packed. It would really come in handy if he had to leave his apartment in a rush. It was obvious that there was no going home for important things unless he could get in without being seen.  
He frowned at his own thoughts. What was he thinking? He could get home without being seen easily, he was a thief for crying out loud. It was kind of his job.

Roman was chugging a bottle of water from the minifridge while placing his gear back into the red box. Finn had pulled a black box from somewhere and was fiddling with it. Seth was still looking like he’d been chewed out by Becky hard. Good.

His eyes met Dean’s across the room and the man actually tried to smile at him. Dean rolled his eyes and moved back to focus on Nikki’s screen.

She’d programmed fucking pong. With Seth’s face as the ball.

Jesus, she was talented.

“Nikki!” Dean yelped in excitement.

“Whit?” She followed his gaze “Ah, aye that? Anger management, want a shot?” He didn’t even have to nod before she was pushing the laptop onto his lap. He glanced at Seth who was busy looking for something in his pockets and then the screen with a sly smile

“Hey baby girl, where did you get the… ball?”

Nikki produced from the pocket of her jacket something looking very much like Seth’s phone. Dean cackled in delight as Nikki beamed with pride at her steal. She unlocked it with a flick. Of course, he didn’t put a password on his phone. Where the lock screen had been a blank black, the home screen was a picture of Seth, Roman and Finn in front of an amazing view.

"He takes a lot of pictures of himsel'"

“Hey that’s mine!” Seth whined as he closed the gap between them, snatching his phone from Nikki’s grabby-hands. Nikki was still grinning to herself.

“Is it? I was just holding ontae it for you until you wanted It back, weren’t I, Dean?”

“I think that someone needs to be careful with his things”

Seth looked like he had to bite back a response and shoved his phone into his back pocket and flopped down onto his beanbag. He looked like he’d just stuck his foot in something particularly nasty. He could feel William Regal giving him the biggest disappointing look in his head for it. The Regal in his head would just have to deal with it. He would trust Seth, but he certainly didn’t have to like him.

Dean gave back Nikki her laptop, settling on rifling through his box to see what exciting goodies they’d gotten him. He popped open the lid to reveal similar black gear to what Reigns, Balor and Rollins had been wearing, masks and all. He inspected the gear with a slight scowl, he never wore anything different than his jeans and grotty shirt. A black hooded zipper with no sleeves was his first point of call. It was lightweight with not much bulk to it, obviously meant to go under the next item. A Bulletproof vest. Dean raised his eyebrows. Bulletproof vests weren’t usually thief regalia, usually a thief could get in and out without being shot. 

He let out a shriek of glee as he pulled a roll of white athletic tape from the box. It drew the attention of everyone to him.

“Uh. Tape” He said with a hint of embarrassment. Finn’s eyes lit up and he laughed.

“Thought ye’d like that, Becks said you taped your hands up”

“Oh?” Dean fidgeted with the tape before putting it back in the box. He rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t think anyone would notice things like that about him apart from Regal or Nikki. It was a remnant from one too many fights as a 15-year-old and having Regal fuss over him when he turned up for training. 

“Protect your hands, Dean, they’re your best friends” Regal had sighed as he wrapped tape around Dean’s right wrist. He’d turned up at Regals door at 4am after getting in a fight with some guy who started arguing with him outside a shop. After Regal had wiped up the mess, he settled on helping Dean learn how to tape up his hands and wrists. It was a motion Dean memorised then made his own. Every job, every fight, they all came with the ritual of taping up his wrists.

He shook his head to take him out of his memories. It was nice to remember the good things about the training with Regal.

“Seth suggested we skip out on giving you a gun” Roman rumbled, looking up from the bottle he was tossing back and forward in his hands “Says you-“

“-Like to punch assholes in the face” Seth finished without looking up. He seemed slightly embarrassed “But I also thought that you could stab them”

Dean looked down at the box and shuffled everything about for a moment before finding it. It was a thin stainless-steel bladed knife with a simple matte black handle. It looked deadly sharp. He looked upward to find Seth meeting his eyes, challenging him.

“Thanks.” Dean said slowly as he, like an idiot, slid his thumb down the blade. He didn’t even flinch when his thumb started to bleed.

“Yeah well… thanks? Uh…” Seth hadn’t expected a thank you clearly, blinking rapidly “You’re wel… you’re welcome”

Dean looked down at his hands again, the beads of blood on his thumb and the dirt under his nails. It also reminded him his tapes were still on. 

He was too used to the pressure that they provided. They also gave him an excuse to go back to ignoring Seth. He could see him watching though as he unwound the wraps, stretching out his hand as he went. Nikki yawned beside him, reaching out to bat at his hand.

“Tired, Nikki?” He asked, letting her pull at his fingers absent-mindedly. Nikki tended to love any contact at any time, but especially when she was tired. She nodded. Dean sighed, Becky was taking her sweet time with finding them somewhere. It was fair considering it’d have to be a Fatale safehouse or something on The Dream and Black’s territory. He ruffled her hair with his free hand “I’m sure you’ll get a nap soon”

He was right sooner than he expected. She slumped back on the beanbag, pushing Dean off onto the floor. He smiled slightly, watching as her head lolling back as she snored. It was undeniably Nikki.

She’d be out cold for a while.

“Is… she Dead?” Finn asked with a slight concern furrowing his brow. Dean did a quiet half laugh and 'shhed' Finn.

“She’s sleepy.”

“How ‘bout you, man?”

Dean frowned before shaking his head. He’d only been up 30-ish hours, give or take. He’d done more on less sleep. He felt like shit though, his calf was still burning and he had a headache coming on.  
“I’m good… uh but… Do you guys have like… uh a first aid kit? Some asshole caught the back of my leg when we ditched DIY”

Roman practically shot out his beanbag over to Dean. He rolled up Dean’s jean leg before Dean could argue and tilted his leg to the side.

“Ah- Seth, babe, can you grab me an alcohol wipe” Roman asked as he poked and prodded. Dean’s eyes darted back and forth between the two men, biting on his lower lip as he tried not to curse out Roman and wake up Nikki. He tried not to focus on the fact that the distractingly handsome Roman had just called Seth fucking Rollins ‘babe’ (He called Nikki babe, it obviously didn't mean anything. He needed to stop overthinking) and instead focused his attention on Finn who’d joined Roman in poking at his leg.

“Jesus yer lucky you weren’t a step back” 

“Tell me about it, my good jeans, ruined”

“I don’t mean t’ be rude, but I think they were already ruined”

Dean squinted down at his jeans. Plenty of mysterious stains and holes marred the surface. They were still his good jeans though, the material worn, comfortable and perfectly familiar. He looked up to give Finn a smile.

“I think they’re still good though, just need a wash”

Seth dropped a pile of things onto Dean’s lap without so much as a word.

“Thanks, dickhead” Dean grumbled. Seth shot him a disgusted glare and stomped off to the corner to sulk. Roman didn’t look up from Dean’s leg to acknowledge Seth which made Dean feel slightly smug.

Any smugness feelings he had, however, were wiped away when Roman attempted to delicately wipe at the wound with an alcohol wipe. Dean practically shot through the ceiling, clapping his hand over his mouth with a sharp hiss. 

He usually just waited till he was in the shower to wash any wounds or anything he had, barely giving any thought to dirt that might have wormed its way in before then. Nothing bad ever happened. Clearly Roman wasn’t as happy to let it lie. The alcohol stung worse than the shower water did.

“You good?” Roman asked gently as he stopped dabbing at the skin.

“Yeah I’m fantasti-No! I’m not Roman!”

Roman laughed and looked up at with a smile that made Dean’s stomach feel fuzzy. Finn passed Roman a bandage, pulling Roman’s attention back to Dean’s leg. This was awful. Dean hated being the centre of attention and Roman and Finn weren’t easing the feeling that he was going to be a burden to the team.

Roman tapped Dean’s knee and rolled down his jeans. 

“Good to go”

“Thanks, man”

“Uce. Thanks, uce… like brother” Roman said quietly, his hand resting on Dean’s knee “Our team, we’re in this together as brothers”

It was so touchingly genuine, Dean could feel a lump forming in his throat. Aside from Nikki and Sanity, he didn’t have friends let alone brothers. There were people he’d met and liked but it was dangerous to let anyone get close. He couldn’t have relationships with people who weren’t like him just in case something ever went bad. 

Dean smiled at the big man. Roman was clearly trying to do everything he could to make Dean feel like he was part of the group. It was a sweet gesture “Then thanks, Uce”

“Don’t get used to it” Seth muttered from the other side of the room, baiting him into a fight. The pressure on his knee increased slightly, Roman and Finn turning their heads in unison to stare at Seth.  
“What’s wrong with you today, man?” Finn enquired. Seth shrugged making Finn look even more annoyed. Finn looked terrifying. Dean was impressed “Look, in fact, I don’t even want to know, I just think you need to fix yer attitude and get used t’ working as a bigger team”

It was at that moment that Nikki chose to sit bolt upright and open her eyes.

“Wolfe?”

“Nah, Niks, you’re with us, baby girl,” Roman said with a charming smile that nearly radiated warmth. She looked at him with slight sleep induced confusion before she grinned back maniacally. 

“Nae offence, but yer no Wolfe”

“No, you’re right, Nikki” Roman said with a chuckle “I’m no Wolf, I’m the Big Dog”

The Big Dog.

The Demon.

The Architect.

Dean sucked his breath in through his teeth. He had heard of them. He’d heard all about them in the last few years. Every big hit, high ranking assassination, every single heist of the last 2 years belonged to them.

They were Cerberus.

Dean was going to die.


	3. Town Called Malice

Charlotte Flair was 5’10” of royalty and she knew it. Which made it all the odder to Dean when he found out from Nikki that she was a Fatale and dating Becky Lynch. She walked with the sort of confidence Dean could only aspire to have. She was also disarmingly charming and had the kind of connections that made someone very useful. After all, she was Ric Flair’s daughter, and what couldn’t Ric Flair’s daughter do?

Find Dean somewhere good to stay apparently.

He was starting to doze off with his head in Nikki’s lap when Charlotte and Becky climbed up the stairs to the floor Cerberus had been occupying. Charlotte smiled at the tableaux of Nikki and Dean before she slipped into business Flair.

“Cross, Naomi’s picking you up in 10. That’s if you’re good to stay with her? We can pick you up clothes at-” Nikki let out a shriek of excitement, cutting off Charlotte. Not that it mattered, Flair struggled to keep her laughter from escaping before bowling through onto the next order of business “Okay, good, that’s that solved! Ambrose?”

“Yeah? Which one of the badass Fatales do I get to room with?” 

“None of them, you’re with these guys” She gestured to the three men who looked up in surprise. Dean opened his mouth to argue but Becky shot him down with a withering look. Becky was not to be messed with. She nudged Charlotte in the side to continue her spiel “You’re going to be our team going in and taking down Ciampa, Gargano and Helmsley so we’d rather you were working as well… a team”

“But Char-Nikki’s going to be too far away from... what if...” Dean trailed off. 1000 different images of an injured Nikki forced their way into his brain. 

“What if what? Nikki’s a Fatale and not a kid, Dean” Seth butted in “You don’t need to protect her, I know first-hand she can handle herself”

Dean was forced to admit that Seth was right. Nikki was a Fatale and an adult. She also didn’t need anyone to protect her, let alone Dean who couldn’t even protect himself.

“I’m still here! Stop talking like am no here!” Nikki chirped, launching an empty bottle of water at Seth. It bounced across the floor and skidded to a stop at his feet.

“Oh, I’m so scared” He deadpanned before bending down to pick up the bottle and throw it in the trash bag that was hanging off a nail in a wall “Hit the mark next time, Cross”

Becky let out a sighed. She was used to working with highly skilled professional women, not drama queen one and his supporting cast of idiots “Seth, we know what happened last time you tried to get a rise out of Nikki, And Dean? Just… stop?”

Dean gave her a double thumbs up and flopped back on the beanbag, staring up at the ceiling. It was going to be a long job.

Nikki had practically squeezed the life out of Dean when she said goodbye, wrapping her arms around his neck so hard she could probably have choked him out.

“Niks, it’s fine, I’ll be fine”

She finally let go, leaning up on her tiptoes to whisper lowly in his ear “If Seth tries anything, jist gie me a phone”

“Got it, now go or Naomi will leave without you”

She gave him one last excited hug and jogged off to meet Naomi. Dean sighed. He was gonna miss the shit out of Nikki Cross, especially if he had to deal with staying in the same place as Seth for more than 20 minutes without killing him. Nikki had been one of the only people he’d trusted and let into his life since Regal. She was also most of his impulse control. If Nikki was reckless then Dean had to be the one with some sense. With any luck, Finn and Roman would act as some kind of balance to Dean’s need to punch Seth in the face.

The entire place felt quieter without Nikki and Dean found himself losing whatever focus he had left while the three men he was going to share a living space with made last minute arrangements with Becky and Charlotte. He blinked as the room slid in and out of focus, fighting to keep his eyes open. It was times like these on a job he’d have something to fidget with meaninglessly. And a coffee. Maybe two coffees.

But all his interesting fidgets were at home in a box and he wasn’t about to ask Becky if he could disappear for half an hour to find somewhere to throw a coffee down his neck, so he settled on tapping his fingers against his collarbone. He zoned out, as usual, his mind wandering off to his “happy place”.

Regal had taken him to Las Vegas once on a job when he was 17 and had told him to keep out of trouble while he was busy casing the joint. He trusted Dean enough to come with him, but not enough to help. It was unfortunate that in another year Dean would be on his own and trying to put everything he’d learned into practice. Instead of hanging in Vegas, where he didn’t have enough cash to be a tourist and not enough knowledge to be a local, Dean found himself in the desert. It was both out of the way of Regal and quieter than the busy strip. The Mojave was everything he needed to clear his mind out. Everything felt sharper, everything looked clearer in the desert light. He missed it more than anything.

“Dean?”

Dean jumped and looked up at Finn who was looking down at him with amusement. He shook his head to clear both the tiredness and the memory of the Mojave from his mind. Both Roman and Seth had vanished and neither of the Fatale’s leaders were around.

“You good, man?”

“Yeah!” Dean exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. Finn gave him a disbelieving stare.

“I said your name like… 10 times”

“Was zoning out, man, self-care!”

“I don’t think that’s what self-care means,” Finn said with an amused smile. He shouldered a bright red and blue Spiderman bag, nodding his head towards the stairs “Good t’ go?”

“Sure, why not?”

Finn led him out the way they’d come in to a black SUV he hadn’t noticed when he’d come in with Nikki. His hand went for the front passenger seat as he would for a normal ride and was almost caught off guard by the fact that Seth was staring at him through the window through furrowed brows. Dean stared back with a steady glare. The window between them rolled down.

“Backseat, Ambrose”

“Damn, thought I was gonna ride up front with the Big Dog” Dean threw back. Roman laughed slightly “See, Seth? He’d be down”

“Back seat, Dean” Roman advised. 

He stared at Seth for one moment more before backing down. He reached for the backdoor and slid in next to Finn. He leant forward to clap Roman’s shoulder excitedly.

“Let’s go, man!”

“Sit your ass down, Dean”

He sat down with a sigh and pulled on his seat belt. Seth reached for the radio and Dean could practically smell the grotty basement emo coming off him in waves. It was some screamo nonsense that Dean would never choose to listen to in his life. He grumbled and looked over at Finn who was staring out of the window.

“Shouldn’t you guys have tinted windows or something?” Dean asked with a slight frown as he tapped the glass windows “Maybe you should consider it”

Finn shrugged and turned his head towards Dean “Nobody knows who we are so there’s really no point, you don’t even know”

Finn had a point. Dean had no idea that they were Cerberus until Roman had all but confirmed it with that smug little comment. Actually, he hadn’t confirmed they were, he was just making assumptions. Which meant he could tell a couple of white lies and get his confirmation at the same time.

“Oh, I worked out who you were straight away” Dean grinned “You’re the Demon, He’s the Big Dog…” Dean paused before aiming a kick at the back of Seth’s chair, making the blonde-streaked man twist in his seat to growl at Dean “And the emo upfront there is the Architect, which makes you…”

“Cerberus” Finn finished with a glowing smile “Wow, Dean, that’s amazing!”

“He’s guessing” Seth snorted derisively, turning back to look out the window. Roman tutted as he turned the wheel and took them down a small street.

Dean looked out the window. There was an adult store in the area he’d got a job at when he turned 18 and couldn’t get anyone to take him seriously as a thief without namedropping William Regal. He didn’t exactly have any resume. The guy who ran the place at the time was some heavy guy with a dumb mohawk called Kevin. Kevin had been the first person to offer him a job when he’d been at his lowest. Dean had been soaked through to the skin with rain when he had walked into the place with the sodden remains of a job application. Maybe Kevin had a bit of a messiah complex. Or maybe it was because once upon a time he had been out on the streets like Dean was. But he'd given Dean a job. Above all else, the man lived to work for himself and his boyfriend.

Kevin’s boyfriend, Sami, was a sunny ginger who dropped both Kevin and Dean in lunch more times than he could count. It’d been the best non-illegal job he’d had and had spent more time advocating for Sex Workers in the city and eating lunch with interesting people than actually selling anything of note.

He pointed it out to the rest of the passengers.

“That’s Kev’s place!”

“Of course, you’re the greasy type of guy to know the porn shop owner” Seth groaned “Remind me exactly why Becky wanted him?”

“For a start, Seth, it’s an adult store that advocates for the safety of sex workers and the consumption of ethical pornography, I worked there for a year, don’t test me sweetheart” Dean slipped back into his old work spiel with a smirk. Roman raised his eyebrows, giving him an almost impressed look. Dean paused for a second to allow Seth to absorb his information “Also, Becky wanted someone on her team who both looks great in black and isn’t a complete jackass”

“I hate you”

“Join the club” Dean turned to look out the rear window as the shop disappeared.

He hadn’t talked to Kevin in a good 6 months. Not since his business with Nikki had started to break ground with DIY. Last he’d heard, Kevin was throwing funds into Sami’s dream animal shelter as well as funding a few charities. They’d really made it. They’d made it without playing dirty.

The car journey took them up into the upper-class area of the city. It put Dean on edge. This was practically Hunter’s territory, not that anyone that lived here would say it. They all paid money to him though. Dean slid down in his seat, pulling his shirt up over his mouth.

“You good there, Deano?” Roman asked.

“Nah, feel like I’m going to get jumped by a bunch of big burly men who’re going to whisk me off to Hunter’s mansion and I’ll never see the light of day again” Dean shrugged. In the front seat, Seth shifted uncomfortably.

“God, I hope that’s just your vivid imagination”

“Nope!” Dean popped his ‘P’ and watched Seth squirm. Maybe he was beginning to like getting under Seth’s skin “I’m personally acquainted with both Hunter’s favourite guards and his basement”

“Jesus, man” Finn sucked in air through his teeth.

“Oh, it was the worst week of my life” Dean admitted with a shrug before running his tongue along his bottom lip. He felt like he was a kid who had his grubby little hands on a new favourite toy. Seth was now Dean’s new favourite game to mess around with “Turns out it’s a good thing I’m a masochist, isn’t it, Seth?”

Seth didn’t acknowledge Dean at all, only stared with more determination out of the windshield. The lack of reaction only made Dean more amused. Roman and Finn shared a look in the mirror.  
Dean might not have been able to get a rise out of Seth, but he did manage to make the rest of the car ride feel increasingly awkward for the remaining 5 minutes. They pulled into a relatively fancy looking driveway and into a garage. The house it was attached to was equally as fancy. It made Dean wonder why the base of operations was some gross ex-fish warehouse at the docks.

Dean sat up to attention as the lights came on and the garage door behind them closed the car in. It was clearly automated in some way, he’d probably find out how when he got out of the car. He needed to know his entrances and exits before he could ever feel comfortable in the place. Not that he’d really ever feel comfortable considering the place was smack bang in Hunter’s territory and far fancier than anywhere he’d ever lived.

Seth practically bolted out the car and up into the main house. Dean took his time, his eyes jumped around the room, scanning for potential entrances and exits. A hand came to rest on his shoulder. Roman smiled down at him.

“two ways in and out, no windows, the garage door works off of an app that Seth threw together” Roman advised. Dean nodded and shook the hand off his shoulder, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Thanks, coulda worked it out myself”

“Sometimes you need someone t’ depend on,” Finn said as he walked past the pair of them “Now come on, let me get ya settled in!”

Finn’s whirlwind tour took him all over the house from top to bottom and Dean’s mind was working in overtime to take in everything he could. The basement level was a gym, completely underground with no windows and one entrance. It was pretty neat, Dean had always loved to box, he could imagine spending time down here if he had any. The first floor was pretty open with the living room, dining area and kitchen all in one room. There was a nice big bathroom and doors that looked out onto the sizable garden. The second floor was the large bedrooms, each with an en suite bathroom for each. Seth room was at the top of the staircase and the door was closed with music was blaring inside. Next, there was Finn’s room a little further along the hall. Finn let him peek inside for a second. It was pretty empty with several neatly piled stacks of clothes in the corner next to black duffle bags. The big bed was made to perfection and looked like nobody had slept in it.

“If you’re ever in here for some reason, don’t touch my bags please, Dean” Finn warned as he shut the door “There’s a good chance they’re filled with explosives”

Dean’s eyes widened, a look of excitement on his face “Gotcha!”

Finn crossed to the other side of the hall and knocked. Roman poked his head out. He’d ditched the trousers and bulletproof vest from earlier and was now in a pretty plain pair of grey pyjama bottoms. Dean’s eyes flicked down out of reflex. Roman was built like an action movie star. He swallowed and forced himself to meet Roman’s gaze. 

“This is Roman’s room!”

“Hey!” Roman grinned, completely oblivious to Dean’s wandering eyes, and opened the door slightly so Dean could see inside. Just as empty as Finn’s but the bed was a mess. There was a suitcase in a corner and guns strewn on the bed. Clearly Roman was packing heat. And in more ways than one, Dean thought with a smirk.

“Just doing the tour,” Finn said, his perpetual smile still painting his face “I thought he could do with a layout of where everyone’s sleeping, I’d rather he turned up at yours or mine and not Rollins’”  
Roman’s face fell slightly at the mention of Seth before shaking it off. Dean tilted his head to the side as he stared at his expression. It seemed a mixture of annoyance, disappointment and worry. He looked like Regal did the time Dean landed himself in a hospital with a concussion and a broken arm. 

“Your room’s the next one down from me, Dean” Roman explained with a small smile “If you need anything once you’re settled…”

“I need clothes, actually, I need to get to my apartment to get my stuff” He didn’t add the ‘And I need the stray dog and my best friend to distract me from hitting on you’ that his brain supplied unhelpfully. Finn groaned.

“’s not possible fer us to get you to your apartment” Finn stated, folding his arms “It’s practically impossible, Ciampa and Gargano will have your building watched and we can’t compromise the-“  
Finn was interrupted by the door to Seth’s room flying open and a dark mass that could only be described as Seth shaped slumped off down the stairs. Finn sighed and patted Dean’s shoulder “I want t’ talk to him and stop him acting like he’s being crucified”

“It’s cool man, I’ll get Dean settled in and finish, uce” Roman said as his eyes trailed after the form of Seth slumping off down the stairs. Finn nodded and turned to follow Seth downstairs. Roman stared after him, a small crease forming on his brow. 

Dean took a step back from Roman and glanced both ways down the hall before stepping towards what Roman had designated has his room. Roman stepped forward to come with him, his hand on the door to pull it closed.

“Nah, it’s cool man, I got this” Dean nodded to the door “Go after Seth and stop him from… doing whatever he does when he’s grumpy”

With that, he pushed open the door to his room and pressed inside. His head hurt from thinking about how weird his day was. He didn’t even acknowledge the room and instead threw himself down face first on the bed. 

Dean slept like a log. A very tired, moderately confused, lonely log. So, it was practically no different than usual.  
He woke up at 6 pm, rolling onto his back to fish his phone out of his pocket. 20% and 3 texts from Nikki. He blinked the sleep away before checking Nikki’s texts.

The first read “Naomi! Jimmy! Naomi! Jimmy” while the second was a picture of Nikki hanging off of a grinning Naomi and a man he just had to assume was Jimmy. He looked trustworthy enough and considering he was hanging out with a Fatale, he could survive Nikki Cross… just. The third was a “Nighty Night!! Hehe!!! Don’t kill without me!!!”

He smiled as he read it. It was so unbelievably Nikki Cross that it hurt. He was struck with a sudden deep-rooted feeling of… missing her. It was stupid though. He’d probably see her in less than 24 hours but that didn’t seem like enough.

He wondered if that’s how it would have felt when Regal left if he hadn’t gone on a bender for a month.

He took a deep breath and sent a hopeful back a text.

“Meet me at the pizza place in 30?”

Nikki replied faster than he’d thought would be possible.

“Hehe fun adventures!”

Dean sat up and rolled from the bed. He wasn’t in the mood to reminisce what was the worst month of his life. The growl his stomach made was far more pressing issue than something that had happened 10 years ago. He glanced in the long mirror hanging on the wall. He looked well rested if not a mess. The back of his jeans were slightly bloody but otherwise he just looked like his usual ratty self. 

He padded out the room, as quiet as he would be on a job so he didn’t wake anyone. He stepped down the stairs, taking his time as he familiarised himself with the layout of the place. Finn’s tour had done wonders but he wanted to know every last detail in the house.

He traced a finger down the handrail, the white ornate carvings taking his finger in and out of the hollows in the wood. It was almost calming. He pulled his hand away and reached the bottom of the stairs.

The sound of soft conversation reached him and he strained for a moment to listen.

“Seth, baby, you can’t… treat him like that, he’s not a dog”

“He’s not this great thief you think he is, he’s as fucked up as the rest of them, they’re all the same, Roman! Every thief I’ve ever met is there for himself when it all comes down to it”

“Why do you say that? Seth, you can’t know anything like that, you’ve never met him!”

Roman sounded stressed. Dean didn’t like the sound of a stressed out Roman.

“Because…”

Dean stepped fully into view of the three on the couch. Seth immediately shut up, his eyes flicking to Dean then down to his hands.

“Evening, boys, I’m going to go for a long walk and get outta your hair for… 2 hours”

“Out of our-“ Roman blinked, looking at Dean like he’d just announced he was going on tour with the Backstreet Boys or something.

“Out of your hair, meeting Niks!”

Finn’s head shot up “You can’t leave!”

“Watch me!” Dean called back as he turned to the door. 

“Ciampa or Gargano will probably see you before you get anywhere,” Seth said flatly, leaning forward to study Dean like he was some sort of riddle that needed solving. Dean was not a fan of the look. He would have been right if Dean was some sort of normal person. Dean had been below Hunter’s radar since... forever. He doubted DIY worked quick enough to find him.

“I’m good!”

Dean turned on his heel and walked out the door.


	4. Diet Soda Society

Nikki shoved a large slice of cheese pizza down her throat while chatting animatedly to the guy, Drew, behind the counter. She looked entirely happy and comfy. Dean wondered if she felt better being away from him, he wondered if that was what it was like at home with Sanity when he wasn’t around. The world had been entirely too hard on Nikki Cross.

To Dean and her brothers in Sanity, Nikki was endlessly entertaining, she was funny and smart and kind. She was full of life and energy and nothing could ever bring her down. Nikki Cross was amazing in every way.

But the world had made her harder than she needed to be. Not everyone saw how brilliant she was. Dean wasn’t completely blind to the looks people gave her when they were out. She was crazy to them. They didn’t see how Nikki was. But then again, some people saw Nikki for everything she could do.

She had been a Fatale. She was an amazing hacker. She could claw the eyes out of a man faster than Dean could blink. He’d watched her wipe the histories of awful people off of record books and replace them with people who weren’t. They’d done awful things together to survive.

Nikki deserved to be happy. She deserved to be the life of every room and make strangers uncomfortable with how much of herself she could bare to the world. People deserved to fall in love with everything about her.

Dean stared in the window for a moment longer before entering the restaurant. Nikki nearly screamed at a pitch inaudible to the human ear when she saw him.

“Dean! Dean! Dean! Pizza? I got some ‘cause I was hungry, are you hungry?”

She smiled up at him with her big wide eyes. 

“Pizza? Yeah!”

Nikki slapped down another $10 on the counter and Drew looked at her with a frown.

“Nikki, you’ve paid me $10 already, that’s enough for another slice of pizza” 

“And, Gulak? I got money!”

“Did you- Dean did she rob someone?”

Dean laughed and shook his head “Don’t worry, Drewy, she’s clean for once”

“She doesn’t look clean”

Nikki poked her tongue out at him and dragged Dean over to the booth in the corner that they’d sat in every time they’d come here. It was tucked away or of view of the front door, but it gave them a good view of the rest of the tables. It was a smart choice. Sanity sat here too, judging by the fact someone had carved KD, EY, AW + NC onto the table roughly. The place was always Nikki’s good place.

She was still on her slice when Drew dropped a paper plate with a similarly sized slice onto the table in front of Dean. He stuck his middle finger up at the both of them before disappearing back behind the counter. Dean snorted. He liked Gulak’s attitude.

“Deano, you awright?” Nikki asked softly, staring at Dean over her pizza. It was entirely unlike Nikki to be anything close to soft.

“Yeah, Niks, I’m bright as a button, babe” He took a huge bite of his pizza. His mouth watered at the taste. You could say what you liked about Drew’s attitude but he and the boys knew how to make a good pizza “Just hungry”

Nikki giggled and swiped at him with a napkin.

“You’re a bad liar, you’re always a bad liar!”

“Thanks a lot, angel” He rolled his eyes and took another bite. She was right though, he felt bad.

“So?”

“So what?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I want to go home” Dean sighed as he placed his pizza down on the plate. Nikki frowned, tilting her head to the side “I know, I know, don’t give me that look!”

She continued to give him the look. It was odd to see Nikki without a glowing smile or a fierce growl.

“It’s a dumb idea”

“You sound like Seth”

She faked puking and slammed her hands on the table between them “Yuck! Don’t like that! Not at all!”

“Don’t worry, Niks, You’re not an asshole” 

She laughed and went back to her pizza. Dean set his down, picking at the cheese with a sigh. Leave it to him to ruin a good time. Still, Nikki would follow him to the end of the world if she had to. Dean paused, shoving his fingers into his mouth. He was struck by the sudden thought that if he asked her to come with him, he would be manipulating her because she would do anything for him.

No. He was going to have to ask her. It wasn’t manipulative if she wanted to do it.

“Niks, I need your help”

She closed her eyes, a smile growing on her face. It was a million dollar smile that Dean had seen a handful of times in their whole friendship. It meant Nikki really wanted to play.  
“Your house, right? In the next… hour? Get yer doggy, get yer stuff, get out! S’easy” 

“How did you-“

“Watching, watching, watching” She replied in a sing-song voice. If it wasn’t Nikki, he would have been marginally more scared about that fact.

In the next 5 minutes, they planned the easiest break-in of their lives.

Becky had told Nikki that DIY’s goons would be watching their apartments. All that meant was that they would have to be fast, precise and quiet. Which was easy for Nikki to say considering she would be catching a dog while Dean did the complicated part.

Still, it would be remarkably easy.

*

Getting in was easy. Nikki simply shut the cameras off and Dean walked in and up the stairs. She’d set a timer of 3 minutes for Dean to grab everything and meet her outside with the dog. He unlocked and hip bumped his apartment door open and stepped in.

It was deathly quiet, which made sense of course. Dean didn’t have a roommate or anything. His apartment was small and on the ground floor of a run-down block. The whole area was pretty shady around it but Dean had fallen in love with the tiny space when he’d seen it for the first time. He liked to be intimate with his surroundings and know every inch of space he had. In a bigger apartment it just wouldn’t be possible.

It also made the fact there was someone sitting in his chair facing the TV all the more obvious.

“Come in, Dean”

The voice sent shivers up his spine. He hesitated on the doorstep, trying to think about who the voice belonged to but his brain just wasn’t making connections.

“I said, come in and shut the door, Dean”

“N-no, you just said to come in and let me tell you, I don’t fancy getting stuck in here with someone who’s just broke into my apartment” Deans fingers itched as he reached for the light switch “I don’t know, man, sounds pretty sketch to me”

The click of a gun made Dean rethink his choices.

He stepped into the room and closed his front door behind him. He flicked the light switch, illuminating the plain off-white walls and the scuffed wooden floors. Boxes he’d never bothered unpacking from when he finally stopped haunting Regal’s old house and moved to his apartment leaned perilously over into the centre of the room. And then there was the dusty old couch and chair, facing away from him. 

And then there was the man.

“Dean, come around so I can see you”

“Odd request, but not the worst a man has ever had for me” Dean muttered under his breath as he moved to come around the couch from the left side. His hands balled into fists and he could feel himself beginning to coil like a spring.

Hunter H. Helmsley stood up and offered him his hand. The one without the gun.

Hunter.

“I’m sorry, with all due respect, Mr Helmsley,” Dean blinked “What the fuck?”

Hunter laughed, his eyes sparkling. He didn’t look like an evil guy, he just looked like… well a guy in a nice suit. At least Gargano and Ciampa started moping about in mood lighting when they’d started asking Dean to do shadier and shadier things. Hunter looked like he’d just came home to a shitty apartment after a long day at work being an accountant. 

Interesting.

“Dean, please, I’m not here to hurt you”

“Well, that’s my second question answered” 

“Oh, you’re funny” Hunter smirked. Okay so, that was a little more villainous. But even so, he was nothing like how he’d assumed Hunter would be in the flesh. When he was caught breaking in, he’d never actually got to meet the man. He was too busy familiarizing himself with how it felt to get punched in the face by someone while he was tied to a chair “I’ve been looking for you for a long time, Mr Ambrose, you are hard to pin down”

“Tell that to the last guy I-“

“Ambrose. Listen”

“Sorry!” Dean threw up his hands. He had about 2 minutes and 20 seconds before Nikki Cross would come barrelling into the room. The thought worried Dean. After all, Hunter had a gun and Nikki Cross had nails and a stray dog. She couldn’t compete with a gun. His hand rose to tap his collar bone. Horrible thoughts started to race through his mind and he forced himself to stop.

“Listening?”

“Yep!”

“Good. You see, Dean, I need a thief”

“Congrats, man” Dean exclaimed without thinking. Hunter’s brow twitched and Dean pressed his fingers harder against the bone. 1 minute 50 “Sorry, continue”  
“I need a thief and I think that you know exactly where to find one”

“I don’t, sorry, look, I work at an adult store and I don’t really… You’re barking up the wrong tree”

“That’s funny, Dean, because I remember a little boy that used to sniff around William Regal that looked a lot like you,” Hunter said carefully. He reached a hand out to touch Dean’s face. Dean recoiled slightly. The hand paused, fingers still outstretched to Dean’s chin as though he were going to stroke a hand over his beard fondly. He stared at Dean in silence with a deeply thoughtful look “I remember a 14-year-old boy who did… all the wrong things”

“Well, I’m a 27-year-old man working in a sex shop, Mr Helmsley”

A minute.

“When did you give it up?”

“I never started”

“Why are you lying to me, Dean?”

45\. 45. Dean Ambrose had 45 seconds to save himself. Dean had 45 seconds to save his best friend from whatever was going to happen. Thousands of the worst outcomes possible flooded through 

“Fine! Jesus! I’m still working!”

Hunter smiled. It was a predatory grin that made Dean’s skin crawl. 29. 28. 27.

“I’ll be in touch, goodbye, Dean”

Dean watched him leave his apartment with a smug smile. Dean could still feel him reaching out to touch his face. He wondered what would have happened if he’d connected.  
He swallowed and attempted to shake it off, rushing to his room. He had 15 seconds to get out his bedroom window and into the back alley. It was easy enough to do. He only had a bag to sling over his shoulder. He was still thinking of Hunter when he dropped out of the window into the alley. 

*

Nikki was pacing back and forth with a squirming, wriggling mass of dirty dog in her arms. She looked the opposite of happy Nikki. She was scared. She was confused. 

“4 seconds, Dean. Something happened, please, something happened”

Dean shut his eyes for a second. His best friend stood across from him with emotions on her face that he’d never seen her register before in the 3 years of knowing her. He had one option.

“Talk about it later, lets get this rowdy girl home?”

“Me or the dug?” Nikki asked with a giggle. It was better to hear her laugh and smile.

“Both” Dean replied with a wide smile.

The dog let out a yap when she heard Dean’s voice, wiggling around to face him and scrabbling at Nikki’s arms as she attempted to get to Dean. Dean moved towards her and scooped the dog from her arms. The dog relaxed slightly and Nikki reached a hand out towards her. The dog sniffed her warily for a second before butting her head against Nikki’s palm. Nikki’s eyes grew wide with excitement.

“Did ye name her? I want tae name her!”

“We’ll get her home first, yeah?”

Nikki huffed and withdrew her hand. The dog’s head chased after her and she grinned, her teeth flashing a brilliant white inside her mouth. Dean threw an arm around her, tucking the dog under his arm and pulling her with him.

He could put Hunter to the back of his mind and instead focused on propelling his friend through the grimy back alleys with a dog intent on not staying in his arms. Nikki was jumpy and excited as he dragged her back to the pizza place then back to the big house. 

She barrelled through the door with the dog in her arms before Dean could stop her. Roman, Seth and Finn were already by her when she put the dog down on the floor. The dog growled at the three of them, backing up against Nikki’s legs.

“We have a dug! A dug! Look!”

“Roman, Nikki has a dog with her” Seth said slowly. The three of them looked a picture of complete confusion as Dean joined Nikki’s side “In fact, Nikki is also… here… when she should be somewhere else”

“Just cause you wanna get rid of her doesn’t mean she isn’t meant to be here, Seth” Dean said quietly, reaching around to hug Nikki’s shoulders. Seth’s mouth fell open as If he was going to speak before he closed it, thinking better. He slowly sunk to his knees in front of the dog, offering out his hand. She sniffed for a second before licking a long stripe up the back of his hand excitedly. She yapped and launched herself into his arms, making him tumble backwards. Laughing.

“He’s cute, what’s his name?”

“She!” Nikki supplied helpfully “She doesn’t have a name! Dean said no to Sandwich and Cheese and he said am no allowed to call her after Killian”

Roman sighed and pulled his phone out “I’m calling Becky, you could have compromised this whole operation, the both of you, it was highly dangerous and…”

His rant started to veer violently into authority figure territory. Dean didn’t do well with that. Finn’s voice became part of the background buzz as he attempted to argue in Dean and Nikki’s favour. Dean wanted to tune them both out. He knelt to run his fingers through the dog’s matted fur. Underneath, he could feel skin and muscle buzzing with life. She launched herself back and forward between the sitting Seth and crouched Dean, detouring every so often to rub against Nikki’s leg as she fake-listened to Roman and Finn.  
Seth met his eyes as he raised his head from staring down at the dog.

“Scout. Her name’s Scout”

“Scout” Seth repeated softly, reaching out to touch her face. Dean stared at him. It was the first time he hadn’t replied with a snarky comment or attempted to undermine him in some way.

Nikki practically burst with excitement. She started to chant her name bouncing on her feet. Dean pulled her down to play with Scout. The sooner he distracted her, the better it would be in the end. Naomi picked her up an hour later. Not that Nikki was happy to go. She’d helped wash Scout and checked her over for injuries before spending the rest of the evening in the neat backyard running circles around Dean with the dog chasing her.

As soon as she was gone, however, Roman wrangled Dean from the garden and Scout and onto a chair in the kitchen. Roman looked like a step-dad he once had, his arms folded over his chest and staring Dean down with a mix of anger and worry. It made him want to tell Roman all about his meeting with Hunter. Not that he was dumb enough to do that.

“Dean, what you and Nikki did was immensely stupid” Roman started.

“What he did was stupid, but nothing happened” Finn countered. He was halfway in the fridge, rooting about for something to eat. He popped his head out with a shrug “Roman, we gotta trust him to do the right things”

Dean felt guiltier now. Finn was actually trying to defend him for doing something that Roman was very rightly pointing out was dumb to do. He had to tell them. He had to warn them about Hunter. 

“I didn’t do the right thing though,” Dean said firmly. Finn looked up with his mouth slightly agape. Anxiety spiked in Dean’s stomach and he swallowed back the guilt “I- I’ll tell you about it later… I need to tell Becky that…”

“Tell Becky what?” Roman asked, his voice pitching lower into dangerous territory. Dean shook his head.

“I’ll tell Becks what she needs to know”

Dean stood a little awkwardly, keenly aware of the eyes following him. He felt like he was an ant under a magnifying glass and he was definitely about to burn up. These men… they weren’t the people he was comfortable with. They weren’t Nikki with her childish charm and wicked grin, Wolfe with his soft accent and the way he would whistle, Eric with his confidence and charm or even Killian with his warmth and love. Hell, they weren’t fucking Kevin Owens or Sami Zayn. He didn’t need to be scrutinised like some test subject. He didn’t owe them shit.

“You’re full of shit” Seth muttered lowly as he breezed past him from the garden. Scout was trotting after him like she’d known him her whole life before splitting off to sit on top of Dean’s feet. Just when he thought that Seth was over being an asshole to him.

He pulled himself up to his full height and cast a withering look at He was Dean fucking Ambrose and he had been taught a long time ago to keep his head up high no matter what. 

But he kept his mouth shut.


	5. Quiet Little Voices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick warning for some homophobia and homophobic violence around the middle of this chapter directed towards teenage Dean. Also a deeper look at Dean's psyche.

Sometimes Dean felt he was drowning.

He first felt it when he was 9 years old and one of the kids at school called him an idiot because he couldn’t spell Wednesday. He’d had 5 attempts and it was just getting more and more jumbled every time he scored it out with his pencil. He broke a hole in his paper and the kid next to him, some bratty little kid, turned around in a high and mighty voice and called him dumb.

Dean punched him square in the face, broke down in tears and hid under the table. 

He got sent to the principal and taken out of school for a week. His mom had cursed him out when he got home. 

Dean’s brain had been taking on water ever since.

He was drowning again as he stared at the infinitely white ceiling above the bed he was lying on. He’d stripped down to his underwear, opened the huge window and tossed himself back onto the sheets. 

Convincing yourself you weren’t about to go under was the hard thing. His hand traced the familiar route from hip to shoulder blade, pressing into old bruises and scars before settling to tap rhythmically against the bone. 

He’d never broken under pressure, never messed up a job because of it. But afterwards he dropped like a stone if he didn’t have Nikki or someone there to keep him focused.   
His nails dug into his skin like he was digging into a crack. If he could just work out why he was worked up, maybe he’d feel even the smallest bit better. He’d stop feeling so overwhelmed.

Seth. Seth was making this remarkably difficult. He was trying to trust him but the man had left him for dead once, what trust was there when you were fucking shattering-

“Dean?” 

Dean sat bolt upright, whipping his head towards the door. Seth stood against the doorframe, silhouetted by warm yellow light from the hall. The man looked tired with his hair thrown out like a lion’s mane rather than the pulled back bun he usually wore. Dean bit back the urge to tell Seth to fuck off. 

“Can I… can I come in?”

Dean nodded. He even budged up on the bed to sit nearly on the pillows. Seth waivered for a moment before coming in. He shut the door behind him with a soft click and moved to sit down on the bed. The glow of the bedside lamp picked out the smallest details on Seth’s back, the soft contour of each muscle, the black of the tattoo running down his spine, every single movement bathed itself in lights and shadows. Dean was slightly transfixed.

Seconds passed as Seth stared in silence at the door. It wasn’t entirely uncomfortable though, it gave Dean time to work out why Seth was even here.

“I… Dean, I’m sorry for what happened at Hunter’s place” Seth started. Dean suddenly was very interested in the small of Seth’s back, practically boring a hole with his eyes. Seth was apologising “I’m sorry for valuing my own… job above your safety… I felt awful after, really, I thought… I thought for a long time you were dead until I heard about something you did for Nakamura”

Dean sighed and shut his eyes. Maybe Seth was drowning too. He’d never imagined that Seth could feel guilt for what he did.

“For a year of my fucking life, I thought I killed a man, I didn’t know who you were until I heard about this… ginger kid who was practically taking the world on by himself”

Dean had learned Seth’s name when he was looking into the files. He’d blackmailed more than a few people to get his name. He had wanted revenge for such a long time.

“I’m sorry for what I did” Seth’s voice was stronger now. Dean felt the bed shift under him and he opened his eyes. Seth was drawing his legs up to turn to face Dean, a wild look on his face. Dean couldn’t quite read it “I don’t want…”

He shifted closer again and Dean’s heart rate spiked. The gap was narrow, Seth leaning forward and Dean refusing to budge. If he wasn’t so sure that Seth was unarmed, he would have have had him choked out by now. It was as if he had no concept of personal space.

“I don’t want your forgiveness, I want you to understand me”

His eyes were wide, brown and sparkling like Bambi. He looked so young that Dean almost wanted to tell him it was all okay. But Seth wasn’t a child and he didn’t want the soft candy-coating Dean wanted so desperately to provide. Because it certainly wasn’t okay. Dean Ambrose had seen hell aged 25 and had stuck it out for a month. 

“Dean?”

“Yeah…” His voice was rough, catching in his throat like sharp barbs. 

“Have you been crying?”

Seth’s voice mixed with Regal’s and he was 13 years old.

*  
Dean had never been popular. His ragged haircut and thrift store clothes had seen to that a long time before he could even work up the courage to approach anyone. He sat with one kid at lunch. Some kid called Sami Callihan who he’d once seen try and bite off one of the older boy’s nose after he called him a weirdo. He was as close to a friend as Dean was sure he’d ever get. They went to the arcade sometimes, they sat out back in the alley of Dean’s apartment block with the old homeless guy on a Monday afternoon when Sami was waiting for his parents to come home from work, sometimes Dean even took Sami with him when he had to see Mr Regal.

Friday was Dean’s least favourite day. It meant a weekend alone in his house with no school or Callihan to break it up in the middle. Sure, he could go to Regal’s for most of the day for the dumb training he’d got stuck in, but he wasn’t exactly Dean’s friend. Sami had tried to come over once or twice but… Dean’s then step-dad had put a stop to it real quick.

“And then-then-then, I said to Drake, I said ‘Call me a little bitch again, and I’ll rip your face off’, like, I ain’t messing with Drake anymore”

“And did you?” Dean asked picking out the dirt from under his nails. The pair of them had hauled up in the bathrooms for lunch, passing the carton of OJ Callihan had bought back and forth between them. Sami paused, looking at Dean with the ghost of a smile.

“I’m alive, ain’t I? If Drake had touched me I’d be dead” Sami chuckled. He had a point. Drake Younger was terrifying. Sami pulled the straw from the empty carton and started to play with it, twisting it around his fingers “Want to come to mine this weekend?”

“You know I can’t, my mom and Regal…”

Sami sighed and aimed a kick at the door of the stall to his left. 

“One weekend dude, come on, my parents said it was cool and I’m sure Regal won’t mind and your mom won’t care”

He had a point about his mom. There was a good chance she wouldn’t even realise that he’d left the house, but William Regal would be livid if Dean didn’t show up. He pressed his head back against the cold tile of the bathroom wall. 

“Yeah sure, why not” Dean decided finally. The bell rung and the two boys scrambled to their feet. Sami scooped up the remains of the orange juice carton and launched it into the bins beside the sink, grinning to himself.

It was going to be a good weekend for once.

Sami hummed to himself as he stood on the swing, bending his legs to gain momentum while Dean lay on the concrete below him, kicking at the seat in a vain attempt to make Sami fall off. It was nearly 10pm and Sami had dragged him to the park down the road from his house to hang out for a while. His parents kept trying to baby him and Dean and it was apparently embarrassing to Callihan. Dean enjoyed it. He’d never been babied by his mom really.

Dean kicked particularly hard against the centre of the seat and the swing jolted Sami up into the air. The smaller boy dropped off the swing onto his knees with an excitable laugh.

“Nice! Did Regal teach you that?”

Dean sat up to punch Sami’s shoulder. The boy faked a whine of pain before launching himself at Dean. The two tussled on the concrete, their laughs echoing across the empty playground. Dean’s fingers grasped at Sami’s shirt and the two tumbled into the grass. They were a flurry of fake punches and light pushes as they twisted about together. Dean managed to get the upper hand, settling above Sami’s hips before the smaller boy grabbed him and threw him off of him. 

The two rolled onto their backs, panting heavy in the grass. Dean’s eyes fixed on the stars blinking overhead. The smog choked up the glimmer but they were still there. Dean liked the stars. Sami rolled onto his side to talk to Dean, his mouth opening to speak before being cut off by a shout.

“Hey, fags!”

Dean was being hauled by his hair to his feet by some guy in dark clothes. He could see Sami being hauled to his feet by a similar guy, a group crowding around them. He was immediately on the defence, scratching and twisting to get out of the grasp of the person holding him.

“Piss off” Dean spat, knocking his elbow sharply into the person holding him, catching his ribs. The pressure at his head lessened before he was being slammed against the ground.

“Little shit- you want to fight? Your little boyfriend can watch me break your face in half”

“Dean!” He heard Sami shout as the guy on top of him forced his face into the ground. The sound of shoes on the concrete of the playground assured Dean that Sami was gone. He was alone.

Dean didn’t register the punches after the 8th. He tried not to listen to the crunch of his chest as someone kicked him in the side or the way his body tried to inhale the air as of it would never get a taste of oxygen again.

He opened his eyes and stared up at the stars through watery eyes. The park was as empty as he was. He pulled himself to his knees on shaking arms. He knew he was bleeding from somewhere, he knew the drops of red pooling below him should have been inside him. He knew Sami had left him.

He caught the bus to William Regal’s house. His face was stinging and he couldn’t even look the bus driver in the eye, struggling to make his mouth manoeuvre around a thank you when the man let him on for free because ‘You shouldn’t be travelin’ here at this time, son’. The reflection in the dark of the window didn’t look like Dean. It looked distorted and covered in tracks of blood and tears. 

Dean rang the bell on the door of Regal’s home, his finger pressing an embarrassingly bloody print onto the round white button. He would clean it up before he went home. He only came here because… he didn’t have anywhere else to go to.

“Dean?” Regal’s voice was stern “What are you doing here? It’s 10pm? Dean are you…” He dropped off when Dean lifted his head to look at him. His face softened to worry “Come in, will you?” 

Dean nodded and allowed Regal to steer him into the hallway then into the living room. Dean was sinking into the couch before he even realised there was someone else there. Regal seemed to ignore the man in the armchair, his focus entirely on Dean as he peeled the ratty grey hoodie from the young man’s body. The man was a mountain in the chair, muscled with long hair pulled back into a messy ponytail at the back of his head.

“Dean, I need you to look at me” 

Dean snapped his head up to his mentor’s face, his eyes wide with fear. Regal touched his face gently, fingers barely ghosting the skin. He stopped at Dean’s cheekbones, sighing to himself.

“Hunter, I hate to cut our meeting short but…”

“The kid comes first, I know William, although I’m disappointed that you’re not going to introduce me” The man in the chair stood, approaching Dean and Regal, his eyebrows raised “He’s trouble this one, huh?”

“Dean, this gentleman is Mr Helmsley, do you remember me telling you about him?” Regal asked gently, pulling away from Dean’s face. Dean nodded dumbly in answer, staring up at the man who towered over him. Regal had mentioned him as a friend who he was working with at some job Dean wasn’t allowed to know about yet. He hadn’t imagined he’d look so… intimidating.

The man offered Dean his hand to shake. Dean complied, wincing at the tight grip. The blood on Dean’s hand smeared onto the man’s skin and Dean felt embarrassed when he pulled away. Hunter wiped it on his trousers with a laugh.

“Take care of him, William, he looks like he’s had a night. 

Regal muttered something under his breath before escorting Hunter to the door, leaving Dean to sink back into the cushions of the couch. He felt so tired and endlessly alone. He was sitting in William Regal’s home on a Friday night after being beaten up.

And Sami Callihan. He’d ran away and left him. The kid he’d considered his… only friend. He’d left him. He’d left him. He’d-

“Dean? What on earth happened to you? Why weren’t you at home?” Regal was back and cradling his face in his hands, brow creased in worry. He dabbed at Dean’s face with a washcloth, trying to mop up the blood on the boy’s face. Dean’s mouth stayed locked shut, he didn’t even try to stammer out an answer “Dean, you are aware I am going to keep questioning you until you give me an answer, do not make me feel like I’m pulling teeth”

Dean swallowed and cast his eyes down.

“Was out” His mouth was refusing to co-operate properly, everything felt wrong “Sami… and then some guys…”

“Sami Callihan did this, Dean? Is that what you’re telling me?”

“No!”

Yes. In a way. Sami for all his big talk hadn’t stayed this time. But he hadn’t done what Regal could see.

“Someone else then?”

“Yeah… some guys… they…” Dean stopped himself. Regal didn’t have to know the details. Dean didn’t want to talk about the details “They just beat me up, Sami ran off”

Regal heaved a sigh and set to work cleaning Dean up.

Regal made Dean stay the night in the spare guest bedroom when he was satisfied there were no lasting injuries, refusing to let him out of the house at 12am to make the journey home. Dean wasn’t surprised to find out that Regal had been keeping spare sets of clothes around for him. Just in case.

William Regal had become more of a parental figure than Dean had ever had in his life, and even though his attitude seemed detached and sanitised at times, he clearly doted on Dean more than he let on. It was the small smiles when Dean picked a lock in under 30 seconds that tipped him off, that and the snacks that seemed to be more like a substantial dinner when Dean had mentioned about not having money to buy lunch from the lunch hall.

The wonderfully warm pyjamas and the clean clothes for the morning made Dean’s heart swell.

It was amazing what a weekend away from home did for Dean. He slid into a routine of breakfast, lunch and dinner with all the training he had to do slid in between everything. He even read most of the book on safecracking Regal had been trying to side into his bag when he wasn’t looking. He spent Saturday night discussing heist gone wrong that had been on the news and how they could have done better.

But when Monday came, it meant he had to go back to school, to his home. It meant he’d see Sami.

He sat on the edge of the bed that had been his dressed in the blue jeans and new t-shirt Regal had bought him. He kicked his feet back and forward, scuffing the soles of his dirty shoes on the cream carpet. It was impossible for him to stand up. He never thought he’d become so attached to a place, a person, to a feeling in his life. The weekend had been the best of his life even if it hadn’t started off well. It had brought stability he hadn’t felt for so long. 

Dean dug his fingers into the soft sky-blue cotton sheets, balling his hands in their warmth.

The door to the room opened slowly and Regal poked his head in.

“Dean? I’m going to take you to school in a moment… Dean?” He stepped in, approaching the bed with slow even steps. He crouched gracefully in front of Dean, resting his hands on either side of the young man who couldn’t quite meet his eyes “Have you been crying”

Miserably, Dean nodded his head. Regal hummed a low note reaching forward to swipe his thumb under Dean’s right eye, wiping the wet away with a sad smile.

“You are going to be okay, Dean”

“Mr Regal… I don’t want to… I don’t want to go home, I don’t want to go to school, I don’t want to leave you” His voice broke, and he hunched forward, pressing his face into the collar of the expensive shirt Regal was wearing. He sobbed against the stiff material, hands still locked in the bed sheets. Regal came up to wrap around him, hushing him softly as he hugged him against his chest. He patted his hand on the young boys back, sighing to himself “Mr Regal, Mr Regal… please, I’m… I don’t…”

“Dean, I’ll see what I can do for you but at the moment you are going to have to keep your chin up for the moment” Regal said quietly, his hand rubbing comforting circles into his skin through the t-shirt “I cannot promise you anything, Dean Ambrose, and you know that, but I will try”

“Thank you” Dean mumbled, managing to collect himself just enough to talk like a normal person. Regal pulled away, a smile playing at his lips.

“You… are going to be a force to be reckoned with, one day Dean, but now… we’ll just have to wait”

He had moved in with Regal before his 14th birthday. 

*

Dean shook his head and wiped at his eyes, Seth’s stare burning into him. He aimed a kick at the other man, weakly connecting with his thigh. Seth simply edged slightly further over, still staring at Dean.

“I’m fine, fuck off” Dean muttered gruffly. Seth opened his mouth for a second before standing up off the bed and heading out the door. Dean listened to him move away, counting the steps. He seemed to stop and turn off into another room rather than moving the rest of the way down the hall to his room. Dean shook his head, none of this was his business. He was glad Seth didn’t press him.

He rolled onto his side and shut his eyes. 

Once Callihan had tried to apologise to him. But Dean had told him to drop it, he couldn’t accept apologies. Maybe he could accept… understanding.


	6. Never Saw It Coming

They didn’t let Dean drive to the warehouse. Roman decided that the fact Dean was sketchy about where he kept his driving licence was enough reason to never let him near the wheel of a car. However, he did end up in the front passenger seat as a compromise with Scout perched on his lap. She seemed quite happy to be hugged against his chest and ‘boof’ at passers-by. So much for laying low.

It was almost a perfect day. It would have been perfect if it wasn’t for the pitying looks that the three men with him continued to throw at him.

Seth couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He’d probably ran straight to Roman with the exciting news that Dean Ambrose cried.

He grumbled and shoved his face into Scout’s face, sniffing in the clean dog smell that Nikki and he had managed to rub into her the night before. He could do with Regal right now to tell him in his stupid accent what an utter idiot he was being. A pang of grief ran through him. He missed him. 

They pulled up outside the warehouse and Dean scooped Scout into his arms so she wouldn’t make a desperate move and disappear back off into the urban jungle. He led the pack of Cerberus into the place, setting Scout down. Thankfully, she decided to just trot along beside them as they wormed their way into the building. Instead of going up to where their gear was, Finn placed a hand in between Dean’s shoulder blades and spurred him through the connecting door that Nikki and Becky had went through the day before.

And it was heaven.

Computers, weapons, first aid kits and anything else Dean could ever dream of in a headquarters lined the walls in banks. The light overhead was a bright white that picked out the knots in the wood of the floor. Someone was playing music from a speaker. 4 chairs faced away from the door and towards a central screen. 3 of them were occupied. Scout whined and cowered behind Dean.

A head whipped up from one of the chairs and Nikki launched herself over the back with a screech. Scout was immediately on her, licking her face with endless excitement. Dean was almost too focused on the happy reunion to see Becky and Charlotte approach.

“Lads, please don’t tell me you brought a fecking dog to our secret headquarters”

“Her name’s Scout!” Nikki supplied unhelpfully.

“She’s cute, babe” Charlotte offered, crouching down to pat the mad furry mass who was only too happy to have more attention. Becky’s face was torn between adoration for Charlotte and mild hatred for everyone else in the room. Dean almost laughed at the flickering expression.

“You 5 are in so much… Charlotte back me up” Becky sighed. Charlotte had her hand on Scout’s belly, smiling down at the squirming dog. She looked upwards at her girlfriend rolling her eyes. 

“Loosen up Becks, I’m sure there’s a good reason?”

“Is this why you broke into your own damn apartment, Dean? Christ almighty, we knew you were irresponsible but for a dog?”

Dean shrugged, looking down at the ground. Becky had a remarkable way of making him feel tiny “I mean sure, but I have other stuff... Important stuff to tell you... S’not like I’m an idiot”

“Spill, Dean” Becky said sharply. He glanced at Roman, Finn and Seth. Not in front of them. Back to Nikki. He didn’t want her to know... Yet. 

“Just you and Char”

The tiny furrow of her brow that she quickly hid wasn’t missed by Dean. She motioned to Nikki.

“Niks, take the lads an’ the dog to get coffee, please... And get that dog a lead while you’re out”

Nikki nodded and scooped Scout up in her arms and headed straight out the door. She paused and peered back in, waiting on the men to follow her out. Seth seemed unconvinced at being demoted to a coffee boy, while Roman and Finn looked plain suspicious.

“Go!” Becky folded her arms, clearly not in the mood to argue “I’m not doing this, get out”

They filed out after Nikki slowly leaving Dean in the room with the two women. Charlotte stood up slowly, joining her girlfriend in looking over Dean. He shifted on the balls of his feet, the coil inside him wound tight with information and stress. Like he could fire off at any moment. How much information was necessary? What would get him in deep shit?

“It’s Hunter” Dean deadpanned. Charlotte and Becky shared a look of worry. Dean swallowed and started to explain everything. Minus Hunter promising to be in touch. That was personal. Sort of. The two women listened intently, nodding along to Dean’s rambling. If there were two people in the world that Dean could trust to come up with a plan, it was Lynch and Flair.

Becky reached for her phone when Dean was done, typing something in rapidly. She turned the phone to face him. Two faces shone out at him, a tough looking man with long dark hair that fell around his shoulders and a beard, and a woman with flowing purple hair and a smirk that spoke for itself.

“These two are Sasha Banks and Drew McIntyre” Charlotte explained, gesturing to each of them in turn. Dean frowned, he wasn’t sure what they had to do with the fact Hunter had shown up in his Becky apartment. Charlotte read the look on his face and continued “They’re Hunter’s… newest playthings, we didn’t think they’d come into play for a long time, but here we are”

“They’re enforcers, Dean, If Hunter wants someone, they can get them” Becky cut in with a grim look. She swiped on her phone and turned it around. A bloodbath. Literally. Dean wasn’t sure if it was entirely blood filling up the bath, but he also knew the man in it was definitely not using his blood anymore “If anyone crosses him, they make sure that they don’t have a second chance” 

“Long walk off a short pier” Dean mumbled nervously.

“Exactly”

Becky locked her phone and tucked it in her pocket. Dean could feel the bile rising in his throat. He didn’t want to projectile vomit over the heir to the Flair Corporation, but he was pretty sure Becky wouldn’t be a great choice either.

“He obviously wants you now, Dean, so Sasha and Drew have become one of our issues” Charlotte sighed. She rested her hand lightly on Dean’s shoulder, giving an encouraging squeeze. Charlotte was allowed to touch him without warning, he’d known her for a lot longer than a lot of people “But he doesn’t know that you know about them”

Dean had the advantage. For once in his life, he knew who he was fighting, even if he was pretty sure it was a losing fight.

“Listen t’ me, Deano” Becky moved forward to mirror Charlotte’s grasp on his shoulder, her fingers digging in through his old battered leather jacket “You’re not going to… end up in a bad way, I promise we’ll do what we can”

“You can’t promise shit, Lynch,” Dean said, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips. Becky and Charlotte considered him for a moment before releasing him.

“Yeah, yer right,” Becky said with a slight laugh “At least I tried”

“We’ll tell Nikki and the boys, do you want to…” Charlotte started, attempting to come up with something for Dean to do “Just do something until we brief them and then we can have our first official meeting”

“Oh and Deano, I have a job for you after!” Becky added quickly.

“Aye Aye, Captain!” Dean mock saluted and turned on his heel. He could hear the short burst of laughter from Charlotte and Becky as made his way out the door and back into the main warehouse floor.

He eyed the post Seth had shimmied up before, studying it for a moment before placing his hand down on the rough wood. It felt sturdy enough for him to climb up without much issue. He hauled himself up, catching the metal railing that bordered the floor above and swinging his legs up. He rolled across the worn wood and then up to his feet. He looked down at his feet with a warm feeling of accomplishment. He was good.

He threw himself down on the beanbag, flipping open the box of his stuff. With a forced concentration, he made himself tape his hands up. If Becky needed him to do something, he needed to be in top form, not thinking about the new promise for a grim death that hung over him.

Dean listened for the sound of the mismatched troupe of Nikki and Cerberus returning. The sound of Scout yapping and the smell of coffee made him smile as he settled back. If he closed his eyes he could imagine he was hanging out at Nikki’s apartment on a Saturday morning.

He’d spent a lot of Saturday mornings in Nikki’s apartment recently. They’d played video games with the rest of Sanity, but mostly Dean and Nikki spent the time planning on how they’d get the information that Ciampa and Gargano had wanted. It hadn’t seemed like much of an issue at the time, just the income of some local restraint chain, but Gargano had asked for them to make it as quiet as possible. Turned out the whole place was a front for a drug smuggling operation that DIY were attempting to get their foot in the door with. The guy running it had refused their offers multiple times. Stealing the books was just one way for them to start undermining the operation.

“Deano! Need ya!” came the sound of Finn’s voice drifting up from the doorway below. Dean gathered himself and prepared for his first job.

*

Dean stared down at the picture on the table in front of him. No. It couldn’t be right. This man… no. He shook his head and lifted them to stare at it once more. He ignored the talking going on around him, eyes burning into every inch of the face. He didn’t know why he looked so familiar. 

A man with the black stringy hair and the shaved sides. No. He had to know him, he looked so familiar. He traced the outline of the face gently with his finger down to the scruffy beard. 

“Dean?” 

He started at the touch to his hand. Nikki was looking up at him with a frown. She’d been staring at him with a frown since he’d come in. They’d all been giving him odd looks because Becky and Charlotte had told them everything.

“Sorry, Niks, zoning out, what’s his name?” He sighed, staring at the photo.

“Callihan, Sami Callihan” Charlotte answered. Dean felt his stomach drop “He’s been causing trouble for the Fatales for the last month, got the recruit’s info from our… facility”

“What Char means is he walked in t’ the new training place we set up, beat up a few of our kids an’ stole the confidential files fer the new recruits, which puts them in danger”   
Becky cut in, slapping down a few more pictures of various places and recruits looking trashed.

She continued on with her spiel and Dean immediately zoned out. He placed the photo down on the table, swallowing. Sami Callihan. 

He glanced down at the picture. That face was undeniably the face of the person who’d been his best friend once upon a time. He still had the same softness in his cheeks that Dean remembered from the bright-eyed kid he knew. 11 years since he’d seen him. 11 years since he’d dropped out of school and decided to follow in William Regal’s footsteps. He couldn’t imagine what would happen if he had to meet him again. After all, he’d never really come to terms with that night. It seemed petty, maybe because Dean could never leave friends behind. 

Someone dragged the photo away from him, snapping him back to attention. Roman was studying it with a slight hint of disgust creeping into his expression. Dean almost felt defensive about a person he hadn’t seen for a decade. Because God, that could have been him.

“I don’t want to do this” Dean broke in above the conversation. His stomach was churning thinking about it. He couldn’t imagine doing anything to Sami that would hurt him. Becky wanted to make him pay, Dean could understand that much, but she was sending Cerberus after him “Actually, it’s more I physically can’t do this”

“What do you mean, Dean?” Roman asked quietly, looking up from the image.

“I know… Look, I know Callihan and not in the ‘I know Hunter way’, like… he was…” He paused and considered Roman for a minute “He was my friend”

“Was” Seth pointed out flatly. Nikki tensed beside Dean. Becky, however, was having none of it.

“Rollins, keep your mouth shut, Deano, this is important… please” Becky’s voice transitioned from scolding to soft as she looked at the auburn-haired man “Dean, you know full well there’s always a chance we’ll be takin’ out a friend next, Hunter… he knows us, Deano, you can’t get sentimental anymore”

Dean closed his eyes. She was right. Becky was usually right.

“Yeah, I getcha… sorry, I just wasn’t expecting it”

“How well do you know him?” Finn asked flatly. Dean looked at the Irishman with a confused expression. Finn sighed and fixed Dean with an oddly no nonsense stare “Dean, he’s probably going t’ end up hurt, I don’t want you t’ throw a fit if… y’know”

He didn’t have to finish his statement. This was Cerberus after all, Dean knew what kind of trail of destruction the three of them left in their wake.

“Haven’t seen him since I was 16, don’t worry, I’m not attached” 

Finn looked him over one last time before turning back to Becky and Charlotte with a smile that could practically light up the whole room.

“Let’s go lads”

*  
This was their baptism of fire. It was, on the surface, a relatively basic job. They were set up to meet Sami Callihan in the car park of a 7/11 at 12.43am precisely. 

Charlotte’s plan of attack for the night was also perfectly simple. Seth and Finn would distract Sami with promises of money for the files he had, Dean would steal them while he wasn’t looking, and if everything went to shit Roman and Becky would control the situation. Easy enough job considering the talent they had.

Dean sat on the wall at the edge of the carpark in the dark next to Roman and Becky, a cigarette between his lips, all three pairs of eyes fixed to the scene in front of them. Seth and Finn were in the SUV parked in the centre of the carpark.

“Cross has eyes on Callihan – Nikki! -” Charlotte relayed over the earpiece in Dean’s ear before being interrupted. There was a loud static burst and the sound of shuffling that made Dean flinch. 

“Seth! Stop daeing yer hair in the mirror and get oot the car” Nikki shouted down the earpiece. Dean took a drag of his cigarette and watched as one of the figures in the car jumped at the sound of Nikki. He smiled to himself, clearly Nikki was taking her responsibility as the eyes of the whole operation very seriously. And she was also taking the opportunity to call Seth out at every junction “He’s no here for a date, stop it!”

Dean snorted to himself, before stubbing his cigarette out on the wall beside him. It was go time. He slipped off the wall to stand beside the other two. Roman nudged Dean gently, a hand coming up to rest on the small of his back. 

“Go time, baby boy, you ready?” Roman asked. For a moment, Dean couldn’t quite work out who he was talking to until Roman added “Ambrose? Hey, you ready?”

Dean started slightly before nodding “I’m good, this should be easy, right?”

“You didn’t want to do this in the first place, Dean, I just wanted to check in”

“I’m good” Dean answered, his voice coming out a little harsher than intended and pushed off the wall and away from Roman. He snuck a glance at Becky who was peering into the distance out past the glow of the 7/11. Dean ran through his last minute checks as a car pulled into the car park. He pulled his hood up and rolled his neck.

“He’s here” Charlotte said firmly. Dean rolled his eyes.

“Yer up, Ambrose” Becky added, her eyes flicking from the car to Dean.

The doors of Seth and Finn’s SUV opened and the two men stepped out. Dean could have punched both of them. They were wearing suits. Fucking suits. It was as if neither of them had actually listened to Dean when he said that would be the opposite of impressive to Sami. They did, however, look the part of the ‘rich bastard buyers’ that Dean had come across in his career. He watched Seth adjust his cuffs as he walked around to meet Finn. Even though Dean would never admit it in his life, Seth looked… handsome. 

The car came to a stop. It was an old busted up thing but it looked well loved. Dean braced himself and made his way around the side of the 7/11. He crouched beside a dumpster, his eyes trained on the car. He watched the driver-side door open. There he was. Dean swallowed.

Sami Callihan.

He had to blink the memory of a Monday morning spent in the school gym with Sami trying to show him how to do the takedown William had shown him the day before. This was different. This could be life or death.

He crept to the car, pressing himself flat against the side and shuffling towards the passenger door. 

“Mr Black?”

God his voice was nearly the same as it had been 10 years ago. Dean placed a hand on the handle. He would have to wait till Seth and Finn tailed Sami away a little more otherwise the click would be as good as an alarm.

“Mr Callihan, pleased to meet you, this is my associate Mr Devitt” He could hear the fake smile in Seth’s voice. Charlotte and Nikki had fallen quiet in his ear and he could no longer see the wall Becky and Roman were hauled up at “I assume you have the files we requested?”

“Yeah, I got ‘em. I wanna see the money first”

“Yes, of course, It’s in the car, right this way”

A stone skidded across the tarmac under the car. It hit off of Dean’s shoe with a quiet ‘thwick’. Finn.

That was the signal for Dean to go as fast as humanly possible. He waited a beat after the footsteps had moved away before opening the car door. It opened with the expected click and he threw himself in the car to hit the light back off. His eyes scanned around in the darkness for the file.

He waited a moment before popping open the glove compartment.

Sami was still as predictable as he’d always been. When they were at school, Sami always kept his wallet in the back pocket of his jeans. He always said that it was because then it was within reach at all times. Dean made fun of that point by then stealing his wallet 12 times a day. 

He lifted out the black folders with ease tucking them under his arm and closing the compartment again. He was about to slide out of the car when a phone started to ring.

“Shit, I need to get that”

Crunching footsteps alarmed him. He went into full flight mode. He threw himself out of the car and onto the ground, shutting the door quietly. Either Finn or Seth covered it by rushing after Sami.

“Callihan, ye’ can’t just walk out, we almost have our deal,” Finn said hurriedly. He was playing the rich buyer almost perfectly in Dean’s opinion.

“Chill, Devitt, I’m getting my phone”

Dean moved towards the back of the car to the furthest point from Sami he could possibly be. He hunkered down, listening for any further noise that would indicate he should just split. His heart thrummed a steady beat against his chest.

The door opened and closed and the ringtone finally stopped.

“Ah, shit, we’re going to have to finish up quick,” Sami said with a sigh “Go get the money and I’ll pass this file to you” 

The door opened again and Dean could hear the sound of rifling through the glove compartment. Dean tensed and got ready to run.

“You’re fucking kidding me, where is it?” Sami slammed the passenger door shut “You fucking took my shit, Black, don’t fuck with me!”

“Didn’t take anything, man, I didn’t touch you-“

The sound of a gun being fired sent Dean into full panic. This wasn’t his element. He ran. He ran with the file clutched tight against him like a new-born baby, his heart practically jumping out his chest. Footsteps echoed after him, his name called out to him by someone, he wasn’t sure who. It didn’t matter. He just had to get out.


	7. Run Boy Run

Dean’s hair was plastered against his forehead by the time he stopped running. Every part of his body was burning with effort. Running under pressure usually wasn’t his speciality, Dean didn’t actually have to run when he carried his job out properly. You weren’t meant to trigger alarms or be shot at. He could still hear the gunshot, so close to him he could feel the vibrations. He had no idea why he’d reacted like that, he’d heard guns before, hell he’d been shot at. Maybe it was the idea of seeing Finn or… Seth hurt, or even Sami. Jesus. What if it was Sami?

Would Dean feel anything? Should he feel anything?

The thought made him feel sick. 

He forced himself to slow his pace and take in his surroundings. He knew where he was, so he wasn’t lost at least. He must have been a good half hour walk away from the docks and another half hour away from the 7/11. It was familiar territory. He took a left up a side street, tapping his fingers off the folder as he went. 

Dean considered going straight back to the docks but he could help but hear Becky in his head warning him about Hunter’s people. He needed to find somewhere to lay low and phone… whoever he could. His two options were Charlotte or Nikki and he didn’t particularly want to pull either of them away considering the situation. His earpiece had been silent since he’d scattered. Maybe they were all in trouble. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before going to his ear. The little device was gone. Shit. He needed to get a phone. Once he got a phone, he’d call Wolfe, Young or Dain could come and get him. They’d keep him safe.

He was just about to fish about in his pockets for any change when he noticed a neon sign like a lighthouse in the middle of the ocean.

Kevin.

The store had to be open, or at least Kevin and Sami would be in the apartment above. Dean sent a prayer out into the universe as he pushed open the door. A jingling bell greeted him and he nearly had a heart attack as a girl with long dark hair pulled back into a high ponytail greeted him. 

“Hi there! I’m Carmella, are you here for the group counselling session?” Dean looked at her, his mouth slightly agape. She smiled at him sympathetically “Sir? Are you… okay? If you need any help I’d be happy to see what I can do for you but we’re not open for customers at the moment”

“I –uh- Is Kevin here?”

“I’m sorry, Mr Owens isn’t in store at the moment, come back today around 12pm if you’d like to see him”

He had almost forgot how late it was, but Kevin and Sami usually stayed late on the weekends to make sure everything was covered. His eyes flicked around the store. It looked mostly the same, the aisles looked the same and the pictures and posters Dean had helped hang up were still on the walls. Carmella seemed to follow his gaze to the circle of chairs in front of the register. There were a few people milling about, chatting in groups, and a few who were definitely staring at Dean.

“That’s for tonight’s group counselling session, sir, you’re welcome to join if you feel like you need it, you seem like you’ve had a night of it”

He had had a bad night. He was sweaty and gross under the hoodie. He also felt like he was going to vomit. 

 

“N-no, I’m great, I just… can you tell Kevin that Dean Ambrose is looking for him?”

“Wait- You’re… you’re Dean? Oh, come with me!” Carmella seemed to immediately perk up, and grabbed Dean’s arm, hauling him towards the staff door. He was only too happy to let her drag him after the night he had had. He glanced up at the clock. 1.35am. Not bad. 

“You know me?”

“Of course! Kevin and Sami don’t shut up about you!” She swiped her key card down the lock and opened the door with her shoulder “They’re in the office, sorry, they told me to keep it on the down low if anyone came in but I think they’ll make an exception for you!” She let go of him and nudged him “You still know your way?”

“I think I got this, thank you, Carmella”

“No problem, now I gotta go and organise this session, have fun!”

With that, she pushed him through the door and bounded off in the direction of the group. It seemed like Kevin was doing even better than he had when Dean had last seen him. A weird mix of nostalgia and jealousy wormed its way through Dean. Kevin was what Dean could have been if he’d stayed on the straight and narrow, if he’d never got involved with Regal, if he’d settled down with someone and started a life. He could have had this all if he’d stayed with him. Kevin wanted to make him a business partner when Dean got his first big job. He left it all for a chance at… whatever his existence was. 

He could have been happy.

He walked through the stockroom. It was a lot neater than when he had left it with a greater variety of weird and wonderful things that Dean could only imagine the purpose of. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to imagine any of the items in action in the first place. He skirted around a particularly high stack of boxes labelled only with ‘SAMI DON’T TOUCH” in Kevin’s scribbly handwriting. Dean laughed to himself. Even back when Dean was working, everything had to be labelled like that to stop Sami from accidentally bringing most of the stockroom down around his ears. It looked like it still happened.

Dean stopped at the nondescript door to the manager’s office, staring at it with an odd feeling in his chest. He listened to the sounds of quiet conversation before knocking on the door.

“Come in ‘Mella!” Sami Zayn called brightly, his voice sending warmth through the whole of Dean’s body. He had been like an annoying brother to Dean and it seemed like the love still remained even after practically ditching them. Dean started to push the door open “You should see the puppy we picked up from- Holy shit, Dean!”

Sami sat in Kevin’s lap, examining a piece of paper on the desk while Kevin looked like he’d been mid-phone conversation. He had an arm slung across Sami’s front, hugging him against his stomach like it was the most natural thing in the world. Which it was because Kevin and Sami had always been the most natural couple. Kevin hung up the call with a quick goodbye, his eyes turning on Dean with a look of mild disbelief.

“Hey, can I borrow your phone?”

*

You could say what you liked about Kevin Owens, but the man was legit. He was an endlessly passionate man with a heart of gold under the rough and tumble exterior and his business was a reflection of that. He’d fallen in love with the place despite only wanting to save enough money to kick-start his boyfriend’s dream of having an animal shelter and by the time they could afford it, the shop was a safe haven for everyone in the industry. Kevin was even considering opening up a second store.

He’d offered Dean a chance when nobody else would. He’d went apartment searching with Dean and helped him get a foothold in the world outside of Regal. Because there was a world outside of thieves and hired killers and Kevin Owens would be dammed if he saw another kid lost to what the city had become because of men like Regal.

Kevin wasn’t even that much older than Dean, but god, Dean Ambrose was Kevin Owens' problem child.

“Dean, what the hell are you doing here?” Kevin asked incredulously, staring at his friend. He pressed a hand to his forehead like he had a headache coming on and Dean shifted on the balls of his feet.

“Looking for a phone?” Dean tried with a small smile. Sami left Kevin’s lap and hurried to drag a chair over, his jaw set with a look of worry.

“Usually you don’t drop by unexpectedly” Sami said, prompting him to sit down in the chair he’d plunked down in front of the desk “In fact, you never drop by anyway”

Sami leant against the desk, a pink flush building on the high points of his cheeks. Dean felt awful for making them worry. His eyes flicked around the desk, scanning papers out of reflex. His eyes landed on a photo frame and his hand shot towards it, lifting it to study the occupants.

Kevin. Sami. A grey fluffy mess of a cat who was clearly unhappy at being held by Sami for a picture. And a little girl with a wide gap-toothed grin. She was being held up by Kevin who looked like he was holding the world’s most precious treasure.

“That’s Gucci and River,” Kevin said softly, a tone he wasn’t known for indulging in too much. His face was a picture of adoration as Dean set the photo back down gently and fiddled with his hands.

“Which is which?”

“Gucci is the cat” Sami laughed, aiming a soft kick at the chair Dean was sitting on “River… She’s 6 years old, amazingly smart and funny, you’d like her Dean… hopefully, we’ll get to adopt her formally soon”

He was glowing with the same pride as Kevin at the photo. Dean wondered if anyone had ever glowed when they’d looked at him. Maybe the Regal that one time he caught him trying to break into his own damn house at 13 because he’d locked himself out all night. Apparently Regal was just out for a morning stroll when he came across the boy attempting to open his bedroom window while hanging from a drain pipe. 

“Formally?”

“We’re fostering but we're trying to adopt now... but we can’t legally adopt her… yet, it’s been a long process, roadblock after goddamn roadblock” Kevin waved a hand in front of his face “We’re thinking of moving too, somewhere she won’t have to live above a place like this for her whole life, you know? Peyton and Billie from next door are babysitting tonight while we finish... this shit”

Dean could imagine them being a happy family in the near future. Kevin and Sami would be great dads, they were perfect even. He was happy for them, for everything they’d accomplished. He stood up from his chair and dragged Kevin over the desk to hug him. The man tensed for a moment before relaxing and wrapping an arm around him. Kevin and Dean never did hugs often but the occasion seemed to call for it. A shock of ginger hair wormed its way into the fray as Sami wrapped his arms around the both of them. Dean smiled to himself.

The world was changing and he was going to see this kid and her dads come through it. He’d do it for them. If there was a plan to go back to.

His mind flipped from happy thoughts to worry and fear. He still had to get a hold of someone, anyone. He let go of Kevin, his hand coming up to his collar bone.

“Hey! Don’t be nervous, you’re going to be an uncle but it’s not that rough” Sami laughed. The look on Dean’s face didn’t shift “Dean? What’s wrong?”

“I really need to borrow the phone”

Kevin blinked slowly before pushing the phone on the desk towards his friend. Dean grabbed it eagerly and began typing in Nikki’s number. He was a digit away from finishing when he looked up at the two men who were looking at him with worry staining their features.

“What have you gotten mixed up in, Dean Ambrose?” Kevin asked slowly, leaning back on the chair. Dean hovered above the last digit, staring back at Kevin. He considered lying. He always considered lying. But Sami would know. He could smell fake from a mile away.

“I don’t want to alarm either of you… but I…. I think I’m going to save the world?”

Sami laughed, his whole face lighting up like it was a massive joke “How are you going to do that?”

“Well… Lynch, she…”

Kevin groaned and Dean immediately shut up, looking down at the ground with a guilty expression. Kevin put his head in his hands as he attempted to collect himself. He looked up at Sami, his eyebrows knitting together as he worked through Dean’s words. The ginger man reached to pat his boyfriend’s shoulder gently.

“You’re still doing that, huh? Dean, you know… Do you realise what you’re stuck in?” Sami asked. It was no secret that Kevin and Sami had never been entirely happy Dean had gone back to being a thief but now they were laying it down explicitly. He could feel himself turning pink, his eyes cast down at the floor to avoid looking at either of the two men around him “You had a life, Dean! You… you could be a part of this all still if you just give it up, you could work here again, or with me, be an uncle or just… go straight”

Dean fidgeted with the envelope on his lap before glancing up at the two. Sami’s face betrayed a range of emotions from full-blown anger to a soft sadness, while Kevin was an emotionless rock. He shivered slightly.

The world was changing. He needed to be a part of the change, whether Kevin and Sami liked it or not, and he needed to change the world for them, for their little family.

He pressed the last digit of Nikki’s number and Kevin sank back defeated. Sami joined him, his face a picture of dejection. He’d give his life to make sure his friends were safe. This was a way of doing that.

“Niks, I need picked up”

“Gotcha! Seth’s on his way”

 

“Thanks, sunshine, I’m-“

“At Kevin’s? Ah know, You huv’ a tracker on you” She said matter-of-factly before hanging up. He set the phone down, relaxing slightly. Nikki was practically unreadable on the phone. She was full of non-verbal cues he couldn’t pick up through a call but he had a feeling he was safe. Besides, therefore Seth was okay, so that was one less person on his conscious.

Sami shifted uneasily beside his boyfriend, his eyes following Dean as he leant back in the chair. Kevin picked up a bundle of paper and slid it over to his left, leaning forward to watch his friend with a blank look. Dean’s eyes flicked between the two. Unreadable, readable, unreadable, readable. Every human emotion could slide its way across Sami’s face in a matter of seconds.

“So, who’s picking you up?” Sami asked finally, breaking the silence.

“Just a guy”

“Just a guy?” Sami’s eyebrows shot up. Dean couldn’t help the laugh that escaped his lips “Oh come on, give me more to go on than just a guy, Dean!”

“He's a bit of a bastard actually, but I’m not in charge of the good ship world changers” Dean admitted. Kevin almost smiled.

“Hope you’re not dating assholes, Mr Ambrose” Sami chuckled. Dean fake wretched at the thought of Seth having any sort of contact with him outside of muttered comments about how awful he apparently was. Roman or Finn however… Dean’s brain wandered for a moment before shooting a smirk at Sami.

“Why? You got a cautionary tale?”

“I am the cautionary tale” Kevin broke in flatly. Dean couldn’t suppress his laughter. Kevin had a special way of diffusing any situation. There was a pregnant pause as Dean regained his composure. He glanced at Kevin who smiled slightly in return.

“Seriously though, Dean,” Sami continued “Stay out of trouble and stay away from people in your line of work”

“Jesus, thanks dad” 

Sami flipped him off with a dramatic eye roll for his troubles.

There was a knock at the door of the office and Carmella shoved the door open. She looked flustered. A little of the hair in her ponytail had come loose and was spiralling down the centre of her face. She huffed it out of the way and folded her arms. 

“Uhm, Kevin, there’s a guy refusing to leave the premises and he’s not here for the meeting, he’s messing about in the lingerie section and I every time I ask him to leave he’s like ‘oh I’m waiting on someone, sweetheart’ and if you don't get rid of him, we might need a body bag”

“Sounds like my ride” Dean sighed “Looks like he’s had someone drop half a tin of vanilla sundae paint down his hair? Grumpy looking?”

“Sounds about right, fancy suit?” Carmella asked. Dean pulled a face making Carmella smile “That’ll be him then, he’s refusing to go”

Kevin groaned and stood up, rounding the desk. His hand fell on Dean’s back, gently balling up in the material of Dean’s hoodie.

“Next time you drop by please tell me first”

Dean smiled up at his friend as he stood up.

“I’ll let you know when I know” 

*

Seth was still picking around the aisles when Carmella led Dean out of the back. She split off from him to head back to her group with an apologetic smile. He took a moment to gather himself before approaching the man. He was still wearing his suit and looked completely unflustered. Dean had expected something more. A physical reaction to what had happened to them earlier, something he could see to prove he wasn’t the only one who was messed up by it. Nothing. He looked like the same. Dean shook off the thoughts and approached Seth in his line of sight. The man seemed to light up when Dean appeared, dropping the novelty dick straw back into the holder with a smirk. 

“Come here often?” Dean asked, his eyebrows raising at the sight of Seth moving his hands away from the display. Considering the rest of the displays in the store, it a remarkably innocent one that mostly stuff for bachelorette parties.

Seth looked down with a nervous chuckle. His hands went to fix his collar and Dean’s eyes zeroed in on bruising along his knuckles. His stomach lurched and he blinked hard. By the time he looked back, Seth had shoved his hands in his pockets. “Only to pick up teammates”

Dean glanced back at where Carmella was attempting to direct attention away from the weird scruffy dude and the smartly dressed man. God, he knew exactly how it looked. 

“We should go” Dean mumbled and reached for Seth’s arm. The other man jumped slightly at Dean’s contact and away from Dean’s hand like he burned him. Dean scowled and jammed his hand into his pockets, staring at the other man.

What was with him?

Seth swallowed and looked away from Dean, unable to quite meet his eyes. Dean paused and looked down at his hand. It had come away wet. Blood. He could almost punch Seth. He kept his voice low in an attempt not to cause a scene “Sorry, fuck, just go”

Seth complied. Dean placed a guiding hand on his back. The SUV was outside parked up on the pavement looking just a shiny and black as it had when he’d last seen it. It seemed like the only real evidence of the night was the dark blood seeping into Seth’s suit. It made it real enough to Dean that he snapped out of the stupor he’d been in since he’d heard the gunshot. Carefully he dipped a hand into Seth’s pocket, withdrawing the keys without a sound.

“I’m driving”

“You’re not driving my car”

“And what? You’re going to drive it and die of blood loss?” Dean hissed.

“I’m not going to…“ Seth began but he was cut off by a string of swears when Dean clamped his arm down his arm with a vicelike grip. He shut his eyes tightly, gritting his teeth in an effort to keep himself quiet “Fine! Drive”

Dean released his grip and Seth went for his pocket. 

“You took my-“

“-Keys, I know!” Dean rolled his eyes and unlocked the vehicle, climbing into the driver’s seat. Seth waivered for a moment before climbing into the passenger seat with a scowl. Dean shoved the keys roughly in the ignition and tugged his seatbelt on.

It was fine.

To say Dean was a bad driver was an understatement. He was atrocious. Regal had taught him for a full year before he’d given up and let Dean loose on the test. In the end, he paid off the examiner to make sure Dean passed, which at the time seemed like a great idea. Now, it seemed like less of a great idea as Dean broke at a traffic light so hard that Seth nearly smashed his face off the dashboard.

“Jesus Christ, who gave you a license?” He grumbled. Dean grinned and spun the steering wheel. Seth rolled his eyes and sat back “So, what happened to you?”

“What do y’mean?” Dean asked with a slight frown.

“You ditched us” Seth stated bluntly. Dean took his eyes off the road for a moment to stare at him. Seth grabbed the wheel with his good arm and pulled them back into their lane with an exasperated sigh “Eyes. On. The. Road”

“Sorry” Dean turned his attention back to the road “You were saying?”

“Why did you run? You ditched us, you didn’t even fucking stop when Becky shouted”

Dean’s eyes narrowed. He hadn’t heard Becky. All he’d heard was the shot then the sound of his own shoes on the tarmac. No, someone had called his name. Was it Becky? It was all very jumbled up. Everything was over so quickly.

“Ambrose?”

“I… I panicked, alright?” Dean muttered “I needed to keep the folder safe and shit was going down, right? I follow my gut, I’m not going to stand there and fight my instincts”

Seth seemed to take that as good enough, sinking back into the seat as Dean turned down a residential street. Dean slowed slightly as well, actually taking the speed limit into account for once. 

It suddenly hit Dean that Seth was still hurt. His arm was still bleeding and he had it nursed against his chest.

“You’re hurt”

“Well done, dumbass, of course I’m hurt” Seth growled. Dean’s hands tightened on the wheel and Seth seemed to notice straight away “Sorry, defensive, hurt, I sound like an ass”

“You are an ass, but that doesn’t explain why you’re hurt”

Seth rolled up the sleeve of his suit jacket revealing a stretch of white shirt sleeve soaked with blood. A long slash across the outside of his arm cleaved the shirt in two and his skin along with it. Dean looked over briefly. It didn’t look deep, just long and viciously red.

“What happened?”

“Finn shot at the ground in front of Callihan as a deterrent because he was coming at him, Callihan went for me with a knife” Seth explained, his eyes half-closed as he stared out of the windscreen “Finn floored him and held him down, Ro and Becks moved in and… Knocked him about and knocked him out”

“Why’d you come get me?”

“I knew what it was like to run away when… the pressure hits”

“Yeah.”


	8. It Will Come Back

Becky put everyone on house arrest for the next week. 

The house was practically a prison, a fact Dean insisted on telling anyone who would listen (including the Fatales that trampled in and out carrying food and things that they’d asked for). It was hell. It was forcing him into a routine. It was making sure he didn’t have time to get in contact with Nikki or… Regal.

“Dean, stop” Finn sighed from the corner of the basement where he had hauled up on a pile of boxes as he watched Dean take out his pent up energy on the punching bag. Anyone else would have avoided Dean when he was in that foul of a mood, but not Finn or Roman. At least Seth got the memo. He had hardly seen Seth since Roman had driven them home and took Seth to the emergency room. If it hadn’t been for the blasting emo music and the dark shape making trips to the basement every morning, Dean would have been sure the other man was missing.

He slammed his fist into the bag again. Eyes locked on the red material like he was a bull. He was relentless. All of his energy had to go somewhere if he wasn’t doing something productive and the punching bag was his current target.

“Ambrose, c’mon man, quit fer the day” Finn tried again. Dean took a deep breath, hugging his body against the bag. Finn was probably right. He pressed his face against the cool vinyl, evening out his breathing slowly.

This house. These people. This job. This dog.

This dog.

Scout.

The door to the top of the stairs was nudged open by a nose and the clack of nails down the steps followed. 

“Hey princess” Dean murmured, dropping to his knees and turning as the dog approached him. She bounced up into his arms, licking at his face with reckless abandon. She was there at least. He pressed his face against her neck, breathing in the smell of her fur. She’d cleaned up nice and after Roman had checked her for fleas, she’d become part of the operation. Even the Fatales coming in and out had taken to the scruffy mess.

She scrabbled back out of his arms and darted towards Finn who smiled slightly and reached down to pet her.

“Becks is coming over to do the debrief in… two hours, Nikki’s gonna be here in an hour” 

“I know, Roman told me” Dean replied, pulling his shirt off and tossing it in the basket someone had set in the corner “Gonna shower up”

“Are you okay, Deano?”

Scout scampered up the stairs and back out the door. Dean made to follow her, but the question stopped him. Was he okay?

Physically yes. He’d done more pure exercise in the past 7 days than he’d done in the last month. He’d been eating healthy too, Roman made sure of that for all of them. He hadn’t smoked either, Becky had made sure that the Fatales knew not to buy him a pack of cigarettes however much he begged. He’d found that out when Naomi, who’d dropped by to tell him how Nikki was, flat out refused to go and buy him anything.

Mentally… mentally he wasn’t at his best, not that he showed it. He made sure he kept his breakdowns to his room and out of the way of everyone else in the house. He missed Nikki’s powers of distraction. On a night where he couldn’t sleep he’d usually just walk to Sanity’s apartment where there was at least one person guaranteed to be awake. But he had to sit in his room, staring up at the ceiling, hoping the sun would come up. 

“I’m fine”

“If you need t’ talk…” Finn began but Dean waved him off. Finn stood up from his position and crossed to Dean, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. His ever-present smile was gone from his face as he looked at the man in front of him “I know that you… we’re the last people on earth that you’ll want t’ talk to but we’re a team, and teams need t’ understand each other”

Dean stared at him. Finn with his bright eyes stared back.

“Nobody needs to understand me” Dean said quietly. He could feel the flush building in his cheeks. He was unreadable, untraceable and undeniably good. Who was Finn Balor to think he could read him? Nobody, not even Nikki, could get under his skin and psychoanalyse him “I’m not meant to be understood, I’m meant to do my job and get out, not be your pet psychology project”

Finn lightly squeezed his shoulder before stepping back, his smile sliding back onto his face as if it’d never been gone at all.

“I think we might understand you a little better than you’d like t’ imagine”

Finn breezed past him upstairs leaving Dean to stare into the blank space where the explosives expert had been. A feeling settled in Dean’s stomach, burning away his insides. He couldn’t work out quite what it was. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t ever work out what it was.

*

Dean could count on one hand the number of times he’d seen Nikki Cross look worried. Which was why the way she paced from the fridge to the couch made him feel awful. She wouldn’t talk to him either, just shot him looks like a cornered animal. Scout could feel it too and chased after her, attempting to pull her into playtime. Dean hauled up in the corner of the sofa as far away as he could get from the other 3 men and still stare out of the window. 

It was 10 minutes past 6 when Becky’s car pulled into the drive and she stepped out looking like she was dressed for an award show in a sweeping blindingly white pair of trousers and a similarly white shirt that crisscrossed her body and left long tails of white fabric to float around her. Charlotte followed suit, wearing a silver dress that barely skimmed the ground as she walked to meet her girlfriend. Becky caught her arm and the two walked together towards the front door and out of Dean’s line of sight.

Nikki fell over the back of the couch and rolled to sit up with crossed legs. She glanced at the 4 men around her then to Scout who launched herself up on top of her. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Lynch and Flair making their grand entrance. 

“Good evening fellas, Niks” Becky was practically glowing as she held her girlfriend's arm. Dean frowned. She wasn’t chewing them out or debriefing them. Yet. Usually, Becky wasted no time “Now, I know the text said debrief, but hear me out before you get all misery-guts on us”

“This better be good news, Lynch” Roman said rather firmly. Dean whipped his head around to look at the man who was staring forward with a set jaw. Roman looked dangerous and Dean’s interest was officially piqued.

“Reigns! I didn’t expect you to be the one causing trouble, good to know you’re capable of it” Charlotte said, looking mildly impressed with the man. Roman dipped his head slightly, a small smile crossing his features “But yes, it’s good news to an extent”

Nikki’s head whipped up, her grin wide and excited. But still, behind it all, there was an edge of nervousness that Dean caught. Nikki was back, sort of.

“What d’ya mean? It’s good news or it’s bad, there’s nae inbetween” She chirped, leaning forward on the sofa so far that Dean was pretty sure she’d over balance.

“How do you feel about attending a little get together?” Charlotte asked with a winning smile.

“Awful” Dean deadpanned. Becky shot him a look that reminded him that she could and would kill him at any moment if he ever said the wrong word In front of Charlotte “I mean, parties aren’t really my scene, Charlotte”

“It’s not so much a party as a… networking opportunity” Charlotte tried again “It’s my father. He wants to… see my current projects and if you play your cards right, he has contacts that you could only dream of having”

That caught Dean’s attention. Maybe Charlotte and Becky hadn’t gone entirely off the deep end.

“Absolutely not” Roman said firmly “I didn’t come here to be anybody’s project, and If Ric Flair wants to find us, he will”

“I’m with Roman” Seth said with an over-exaggerated shrug as he relaxed back into the sofa between Roman and Finn “And I don’t know if you recall this, but-“ He held up his arm and rolled back his sleeve “I haven’t got the blood out my good suit yet”

“Wear the other one” Finn said with a worrying lack of sarcasm in his voice. Dean owned a single black dress shirt. It was a startling revelation to know that people owned a suit never mind at least 2. 

“Finn!” Roman spun to frown at his friend “Don’t tell me that you think this is a good idea”

“I have a lot of bad ideas, Roman, but I think we deserve one night t’ just… network”

“Since when does ‘network’ mean ‘I, Finn Balor want to get laid’ in Irish?” Seth commented, barely under his breath. Finn dug his elbow into his friend’s ribs. Dean was transfixed by the adolescence of it all. They were meant to be at the top of their game, not teasing each other like a bunch of kids. He and Seth might spit at each other but at least they weren’t making dick jokes. 

The chance to meet Ric Flair properly was too good to pass up. He remembered Regal singing his praises as he read the newspaper to Dean while Dean attempted to watch the Simpsons. He’d gone clean when none of them could. He became a famous businessman, he was to be admired. Then his daughter, Charlotte... Regal would just be ecstatic about how she was already so like her father. She was enigmatic and unstoppable. Dean, eating his way through just the marshmallows in the lucky charms box, tried not to listen. It made him feel jealous. He hoped Regal’s friends were as enthusiastic about him to their kids.

“That’s the spirit lads! Go get dressed! You too Nikki!”

“I don’t wear dresses” She said matter-of-factly as she rolled onto her back, poking her fingers through the holes in the fabric of her shirt “Ah’d rather die”

*

Nikki smoothed her hands up and down the black satiny material of her dress, thoroughly engrossed by the texture as she sat on Dean’s bed while he tried to work out how to tie the tie Finn had tossed to him. Somehow, Charlotte had brought Nikki a dress that satisfied her love of texture and that had kept her interest long enough to let Becky persuade her into it. She’d also sat long enough to let Roman brush out her hair. She looked almost like a functioning member of society. Almost. She hadn’t bothered to wash her face.

She sat cross-legged on the bed, her tongue poking out from between her lips as she attempted to poke holes in the edge of the dress.

Dean stared into the mirror in front of him with a deep frown. He was, at least in his own opinion, a competent thief with an unmatched tactile ability, so it didn’t entirely make sense that he couldn’t tie a damn tie. Maybe because he’d never wanted or needed to tie a tie in his life before.

Nikki had begun to chant excitably behind him, bouncing on the bed as if she’d never stop. 

“The rabbit bounded away with the fox snapping at his cotton tail!”

“Nikki what does that even mean?” 

“It’s how ye tie a tie!” She paused a second, tossing her legs off the bed and standing up. She bounced her way up to Dean, throwing her hair back off her face “I’ll dae it for you, ah’ve did it fer Killian… and Eric… and Alexander”

“Can any of your boys tie a tie?” Dean asked with a small smile as the girl reached up to start his tie. Her eyes narrowed in on the black silk of the material. Her fingers slid against the material as she got used to it before moving her hands slowly for Dean to see what she was doing.

“I don’t think ah would have them if they could” She paused, about to pull the tie tight “Dean?”

“Shoot, baby girl”

“Do you-“ She stopped to consider her words for a moment before shaking her head and finishing up tying the tie. She stepped back with a tiny smile “Never mind! All good!”

Dean stopped her, resting his hands on her shoulder. He ducked his head to look her in the eyes. Her eyes darted away and towards the ground. Guilty.

“Nikki… sweetheart… talk to me, please”

“Tell me a secret”

Her eyes were wide with some unknown emotion that Dean couldn’t quite decipher. Carefully he walked her back to the bed, making her sit down before sinking down in front of her. He rested his hands on her knees, staring up at her.

“Nikki, you know everything about me-“

“Don’t lie”

He winced. This time it was Dean who dropped the eye contact

“Nikki…”

“A secret for a secret, please Dean”

What was a secret in the hands of Nikki Cross? She was his best friend, his little sister and his partner in crime. He was worried about her. Painfully so. 

“Legally you have to tell me if you’re dying, Nikki”

“I’m no dying, spill”

So he did.

“The first time I kissed a guy, I was 14 years old and some girl dared me to do it,” He said quietly, his voice barely able to peak above a whisper “I wanted to impress her so badly, Nikki, she was… cute, I thought… I thought I liked her, like liked her”

“And what happened?”

“It was Sami Callihan, Nikki, and when I did… sparks, like I’d just been shown heaven” He closed his eyes. If he squeezed them tight enough he could still feel the gravel of the back yard where they were playing dares under his knees. He could still feel the heat radiating from Sami, could taste the stolen alcohol on his lips, on his tongue. They were just kids and they were both drowning in each other “And… we were the laughing stock of the whole school, got the shit beat out of us for it, called every name under the sun but it didn’t matter… because we were friends and it never meant anything, even when it meant the world”

He sat in silence, his eyes slowly open. He was crying. Nikki wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his.

“Dean, what do you do when you’re in love with someone so much you’re scared they’re going to get hurt?”

“You leave them behind” He answered. It was a reflex that Regal had drummed into him. Caring about someone was dangerous, loving someone was even worse. 

“What if there’s more than one person you love and they’ll follow you to the ends of the earth, even when you’ve specifically told them you canny tell them anything about the new game that you’re a part of”

“Keep all of them safe until you’ve finished the job, or for as long as you can” He answered quietly, the two of them breathing in sync with each other “Is this about… Sanity? Dain, Young, Wolfe?”

She nodded.

“Then you work your ass off and finish the job so you can go home to your boys” He leant back to brush her hair out of her face, a lopsided smile worming its way across his features. It was reflected in Nikki’s face as she pressed her face against his hand “Play the game to win, baby girl”

“Or rig the game in your favour” A smooth voice broke in.

The two of them started, turning to see Roman standing in the doorway. He was wearing a perfectly tailored black suit that made Dean’s shirt, suit jacket and jeans combo feel entirely inadequate. His hair had been pulled back into a pony-tail, drawing attention to how handsome every inch of his face was in the soft light of Dean’s room. If it’d been anyone but Roman and he’d been out at a club or somewhere with enough alcohol to make him forget how much he hated dance music, Dean would have hit on him at least once by now.

“Learn tae knock” Nikki pouted. Dean had to agree.

“I did, nobody answered so I thought you’d died, turns out you’re just doing a pep talk” He shrugged, trying to keep the smile that was creeping up onto his features off “Becks says it’s go time, Nikki you’re with Flair and Lynch, Deano’s with us”

“I’ll see you at the pairty!” Nikki grinned excitedly.

Dean stood to his feet and let Nikki go and she bounced out the room past Roman. He swept his leather jacket on, tugging it on over his shirt in a vain attempt to feel even a tiny bit like himself. He attempted to wipe up his face so it didn’t look like he’d been crying, but the splotchy redness remained as he stared at himself in the mirror. Roman pressed into the room slightly, watching Dean as he examined himself one final time in the mirror.

“You okay, uce?” Roman’s hand landed on his shoulder, his thumb stroking up the centre of his neck under the curls of his hair. Dean managed out a quiet ‘Fine’ as the man rubbed slow circles against his pressure point “You and Nikki really get each other, huh?”

“I’ve never understood someone better, we’re both… we were never taken seriously until we found who we fit with” Dean said slowly, his eyes moving to meet Roman’s in their reflection “I fit with her and her boys and she fits with me, I’d trust her with my life”

“You’re an enigma, Dean Ambrose” Roman muttered, his lips tilting up into a smile. Dean dropped his gaze to the floor, a slight shiver running through his body. Roman let go of him “Let’s go, man”

Dean paused for a moment. He looked down at the gun on his bed that Roman had asked him to keep on him after the Hunter incident. He considered picking it up as a precaution. He wasn’t great with a gun but if he had to… no. He followed him out like a sheep, head bowed as he tried not to think about how Roman had touched him. He stopped to pat Scout on his way out, Roman wrapping an arm around his waist to spur him on. He could feel his cheeks burning as he entered the garage. 

Seth was leaning on the back door of the SUV with a smirk, tossing his keys in the air with an annoying jangle. He was wearing a light grey suit with a white shirt that opened just low enough that Dean could see the dark curls of his chest hairs. He was slightly embarrassed to note that he was actually checking Seth out. He looked good. If it wasn’t Seth, he’d probably tell him. That’s when he caught sight of Seth watching him with a smirk. Dean sped up to force Roman’s arm off him as he pushed his way into the room. 

“You’re driving, Romeo” Seth called, throwing the keys straight at Roman over Dean’s head. Roman caught them reflexively, snorting at his friend’s comment. Seth popped the back door open and motioned for Dean to go in.

“I’m not the responsible adult tonight!” Finn added from inside the car. Dean slid past the still smirking Seth to sit in the back, sliding to the opposite side to give Seth room to get in. Finn sat in the front, fiddling with the radio to find something for background noise. Dean resigned himself to staring at the back of Roman and Finn’s head on the ride to the party.  
He tried to ignore the conversation lowly buzzing around him, zoning out.

*

Regal had dragged him to a few of his friend’s parties as a teen. It was boring but that was how he’d met Charlotte and Becky at a party just like this. It had been a Flair party. Dean never properly met the man outside of quick hellos at the door, but he’d met his daughter and her girlfriend. Even back then it was clear Becky and Charlotte were going to be something amazing in the future.  
Regal had forced him to talk to them at first. He’d originally planned to spend the night hovering around Regal and maybe flirting with the waiters who were serving. Regal had got wind of his plan on the way there when Dean had actually combed his hair and put on the suit Regal had bought him instead of the pair of jeans he had gone for originally. He’d ended up having the shit ripped out of him all the way to the party. William Regal would not have his 15 year old protégé hit on any of Flair’s staff. 

Becky and Charlotte had ended up being cool. They’d spent the night on the steps outside of the mansion tossing stones into the gaudy gold fountain and talking. They were almost instant friends. 

“Apparently there’s a big job goin’ down” Becky says as her stone ricochets off the arm of the golden Ric Flair and smashes into the security camera above them. Dean nods and Charlotte has to stifle her laugh against her girlfriend’s black leather “Somethin’ ‘bout Hunter”

Charlotte raises her eyebrows and it prompts Dean to ask “Who? How’d you know?”

“Shawn, Regal, couple o’ others” She looks around and leans over to murmur a “Austin told me, Stone Cold, he’s been giving me a few pointers an’ it kinda slipped out”

“Becks, you can’t trust anything that man says, he’s probably just saying it to keep you on your toes” Charlotte picks up a small stone and throws it. It hits right in the centre of the fountain with a small splash. 

“I thought Hunter’s… a good guy, right? He’s Regal’s friend” Dean adds quietly. Regal doesn’t tell him much about his working relationships anymore. But Hunter was at Regal’s on Monday night and he’d talked to Dean. He had kept looking Dean over though, like he was looking for something. Dean was looking for the cookies hidden in the kitchen cupboards at the time though, so he thought that it was that. Charlotte had to again suppress a laugh, looking at Dean.

“He’s been doing shady shit, least that’s what I’ve gathered from my Dad’s conversations”

“Eavesdropping again, babe?” Becky chuckles as she wraps her arm around Charlotte. Flair rolls her eyes and plants a kiss on her girlfriend’s forehead.

“Surely you can just ask, both of you” Dean proposes. Becky and Charlotte fix him with a look.

“It doesn’t exactly come up at family dinners”

“An’ I only see Austin when he has time to talk t’ me”

“You live with Regal, why not ask him?”

Dean frowns and presses his palm into the stairs. They have a valid point. He picks up a stone and volleys it over the statue, listening to it clatter off of something beyond it in the dark garden. The trio fall silent, looking off into the dark.

“We’re just kids anyway, right?” Charlotte says quietly, staring out at the black expanse of her front lawn “It’s not like we need to know this shit, in 10 years we’ll be… I don’t know, somewhere else”

“Sugar baby, businesswoman, professional stuntwoman” Becky laughs pointing to Dean, Charlotte then herself in turn “Dean’s gonna live in a mansion next to us with some old dude literally 3 weeks from death and we’re gonna be married”

“God, I’d be a great sugar baby, You guys have no idea how sweet and spoilable I am” Dean smiles widely and strikes a modelesque post to justify his point, sending both Flair and Lynch into hysterics. A polite cough behind them makes the three start.

“Mr Ambrose? Uh, Mr Regal wants you, uhm, please follow me?” There’s a kid who can’t be much older than him with fluffed up brown hair. There’s light stubble on his jaw that makes him have that slightly imperfect handsomeness that Dean can vibe with. He still looks well dressed in the waiter’s uniform that everyone’s wearing.

“Gotta go, girls, Regal’s calling”

“Go see yer old man!” Becky grins and Dean rolls his eyes.

“He’s not my dad”

“He practically is” Charlotte hit back. Dean was about to argue but the boy behind them shifted on the balls of his feet. He rose to his feet and gave the two girls a quick grin.

“I’m gonna go before pretty boy here passes out from nerves”

“It’s Noam” The boy says quietly with an accent that Dean can’t quite place. Irish perhaps? No, Scottish. Dean turns towards him with a dangerous smirk.

“Noam… pretty name for a pretty boy” Dean saunters up and wraps an arm around Noam’s shoulders watching him turn pink “Do I get a last name with that?”

“It’s Noam Dar”

“Stop flirting with my dad’s staff!” Charlotte groans and Dean simply smirks.

“Now, how about we split, Noam?”

The brunette nods with a sly smile and grabs Dean’s wrist, pulling him into the party.

Noam didn’t take him to Regal, instead they also made a detour to the 2nd floor bathroom thanks to Dean’s skills of persuasion. Turned out Noam Dar was a great kisser. Regal hadn’t been happy when he’d found out.

*

“Dean!”

Dean jumped with a start at the dark figure over him as his eyes snapped open. The world was bleary and it was more than terrifying to have some dark mass hanging over the top of him in an enclosed space. He smashed his knee off of the seat in front of him with a breathless “Holy shit!”

Seth started up, hitting his head off the roof of the SUV. A string of curses fell from his mouth as he backed out of the car backwards, clutching the back of his head with a wince. Dean rubbed his knee with a pout.

“What was that for?”

“Party, get out”

He groaned and rolled out the car. He took a moment to straighten himself out before taking his surroundings into account.

It was like going back in time. He turned on the spot, looking at the rolling green grass and the cars parked up on the sides like it was still one of the nights he’d spent out on the lawns with Charlotte and Becky. The statue still glimmered in the evening light with the scratches on the back that Becky put there with her knife still raised. It was odd that nobody had ever fixed it considering the wealth of the man who owned the place. Even the ground had the same crunch underfoot.

He stepped around the car towards where Roman, Finn and the whining Seth were. Finn motioned for him to join them and he did, taking his sweet time to remember everything about the place around him.

“You good?” Roman asked, clearly noticing Dean’s spacey gaze as he looked at the fountain with a small smile.

“Yeah, super, just… You know once, I bet Charlotte I could beat her in a race to the gates from here when she was wearing heels” He crossed his arms, remembering how Becky had told him to not bet anything against Charlotte.

“Should I assume she won?” Finn asked.

“She dumped me in the fountain” Dean nodded with a small smile, he could still remember how loudly he’d shrieked when Charlotte had scooped him up with ease and thrown him into the middle of the fountain. He’d had to spend the night in his underwear sitting in Charlotte’s room with the two girls. It was a good night.

The three other men laughed before turning towards the steps when they heard a shriek. Charlotte and Becky stood at the top of the marble stairs, outlined by gold light spilling from the door. They looked like an angelic painting. The image was a little ruined however by Nikki Cross running full pelt along the stones towards them.

She grabbed Dean’s arms, panting.

“They… have… Canapés”


	9. Take Me Out

They did indeed have canapés. They also had copious amounts of alcohol.

The champagne helped Dean feel like he wasn’t going to die. It did something for his confidence when he was dealing with people. Endless faces, voices, people passed him by while Roman, Seth and Finn schmoozed their way through it. Nikki and Dean stumbled through interactions, glued together at their sides as men and women approached them with the same shark-like smiles. They mumbled hellos and shook hands but aside from that, they were unusually quiet.

Out of their depth.

“Dean Ambrose” Dean mumbled as some older woman wearing a deep blue dress that dipped far too low for Dean’s liking reached for his hand. He couldn’t remember the name she’d just given him. Beside him, Nikki was fending off the friendly advances of what he assumed to be her husband. She smiled at Dean with that same smile that everyone else in the room seemed to have.

“Charmed, Mr Ambrose” She took a step towards him, her voice dropping a few octaves “I don’t suppose you’re free for tonight?”

He blinked. That was not the conversation he’d been expecting, especially not at Ric’s party. Someone wrapped their arm around Dean’s waist. He was about to fight back when a curl of dark brown hair flicked into his vision. Seth.

“Dean, baby, I got you another drink” Seth negotiated the empty glass from Dean’s hand before replacing it and pressing a kiss against his cheek. Dean froze, feeling himself begin to turn bright red before feeling Seth whisper softly “Play along” 

Dean’s lips tilted up into a smile. The woman raised her eyebrows like she was challenging him to make his next move. So he made his move.

He turned to take the glass from Seth, his free hand caressing over Seth’s face lightly. His skin was warm and soft under his fingers. The man stared back at him with a look in his eye that Dean couldn’t place. They stood like that for a second, Dean giving his best impression of some sort of a lovesick puppy until a polite cough broke them apart. Seth started, turning to look at the woman in front of them with a surprised expression before shaking his head with a laugh.

“I apologise for being so rude ma’am, I’m Seth Rollins, I see you’ve met my husband?” He offered his hand to her. She drew him a look as she took his hand, her hand barely touching Seth’s. He smiled at her with a beautifully fake smile that Dean knew was pained.

“Your husband?”

“Dean, here”

“You don’t share a surname”

Seth laughed and looked at Dean with a soft “Oh, honey, not again”. Dean rolled his eyes slightly and wrapped his arm around his waist. He took a sip of his champagne and looked down at Seth with wide innocent eyes.

“Well, sugar, I still think Seth Ambrose sounds better”

“We’ve had this discussion a million times, baby, Dean Rollins has a nice ring to it” Seth batted back playfully. His grip on Dean’s waist tightened slightly and he pulled him towards him. The woman was joined by the man who had been chatting to Nikki. He was a round jolly looking man and Nikki didn’t seem too out of sorts when she sidled up at Dean’s side.

“Ah, it was lovely to meet you both, but we need to go, don’t we?”

The man frowned with confusion “I haven’t-“

“-and you won’t, darling, we need to go”

Dean and Seth murmured a polite goodbye and the woman and her partner stalked away. 

“What the fuck was-“

“She was trying to hit-“

“I know what she was trying to do but why did you come and save me?”

Seth’s thumb stroked against Dean’s hipbone, a gesture that Dean could feel even through the uncomfortable trousers. Seth kept his voice low as he leant up to mutter in Dean’s ear “Team, Dean”

“Since when are you two married?” Nikki questioned, glancing between the two men

“Shotgun wedding, Niks” Dean muttered. Seth still had his hand on his waist. Seth tugged him over to where Roman and Finn were watching from the sides with amused expressions.

Nikki followed, her eyes still fixed on a point in the back of Seth’s skull like she was calculating the best way to kill him. Dean glanced at her. She tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowing. He could see the gears turning visually as she pinpointed his weaknesses.

“Hey there, lovebirds” Finn called with a grin “Getting friendly over there are we boys?”

“Shut up, Balor, don’t start with me” Seth hissed, letting go of Dean to fix his tie “Besides, Dean doesn’t do well when people flirt with him, he prefers to be in control otherwise he has a meltdown”

“And you know that how?” Finn asked with a slight eye roll.

“I’d say I know Dean… pretty well”

Dean frowned. 

Seth smirked and the world went spinning.

*

“Dean! Jesus, you can’t be doin’ that, yer going to get us killed” Becky laughs. Her accent is just as strong as it’s always been. They’re 17 now and they’re all still friends. Dean takes a drag from the cigarette he’s just lit and blows it up into the air. He throws himself back on Charlotte’s bed, smirking up at the ceiling. The bedsheets are soft under him, almost encouraging him to keep going. He could lie here forever.

“Who’s gonna stop me?”

“My dad? Your dad?” Charlotte muses as she breezes into the room. She’s wearing the kind of perfume that Dean will smell on his clothes for weeks. She tosses a jacket to him. It’s made of leather and it smells of smoke. He frowns and sits up “It’s for you”

“I don’t have a dad” He responds and takes another drag as he examines the black leather. He raises it to his nose to smell it. He would bury his face in it if he could “Where’d you get it?”

“You know who I mean,” Charlotte says sharply as she sits on the edge of her bed. She looks at Dean before looking away at Becky “Found it, just wear it”

He’s never turned down a Flair gift. He hands his cigarette to Becky who rolls her eyes as he tugs on the leather. It’s nicer than he’d thought. It’s worn in certain places and there are a few holes beginning to peek through but it’s still nicer than half of the things he usually wears. Regal had finally stopped buying him new fancy clothes and it’d started to take its toll on his wardrobe. He takes his cigarette back and stands, crossing to Charlotte’s floor-length mirror. 

He looks good.

He looks a mess.

“Jesus I look like shit”

“If ya don’t like it, ya don’t have t’ wear it” Becky responds with a frown. 

“No, not the jacket, the jacket’s great… it’s me, I look like shit”

It’s true. He’s hardly slept since he opened a letter addressed to Regal and nearly sliced his thumb open on a tiny blade hidden in the seal. He threw it out, but it’s been playing on his mind. The deep dark circles under his eyes seem to ask ‘why?’ and Dean can’t give an answer. He’s scruffier than usual too, his scraggly stubble well on its way to becoming a beard. He hasn’t seen William much either. He’s avoiding him. Dean wonders why. He runs his tongue along his chapped lower lip and takes a drag.

Maybe it’s the flagrant disregard for his own safety driving his mentor away? Nah. Dean’s never been known for his self-control, there’s no chance that Regal’s only beginning to punish him for it.

“You do” Charlotte confirms and stands “Me and Becky have got to go back to the party”

“And leave me?”

“You’ll survive, I’m leaving you alcohol”

He’s not meant to be here. Regal expressly told him that he wasn’t allowed to come here. The party was not for him. He was too young to play with the adults, too old to make Regal stay home with him. He’d tried the whole ‘Becks and Char can go’ but the older man had given him a look that made him stop arguing. But the night was young and Dean had so much to do.

The two girls leave him alone to smoke in Charlotte’s room, marooned in the middle of the Flair mansion. He shuts his eyes and when he opens them again he’s on the bed, grinding out the rest of the cigarette on the toe of his shoe before tossing it out Charlotte’s open window. He leans back on the pillows, trying to capture the fleeting thought he had about… Regal? Something along those lines. He lets it go. Charlotte left him a bottle of wine and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t finish it. He was going to admonish her for feeding his bad habits, but it was better than sitting alone.

Plus he’d already started the night at home. 

He finishes the wine before Charlotte and Becky come back up from dinner, and so a little intoxicated and slightly dizzy he scales down the drainpipe from Charlotte’s balcony and out into the night. The walk back to Regal’s isn’t that far, maybe 25 minutes if he jogs it like he usually does, but he detours past a store to buy another pack of cigarettes.  
The woman at the counter won’t let him buy them.

“Come on, just this once?” He asks with a pout, leaning across the counter. The wine’s started to hit him and he’s not entirely in the moment. The woman sighs and shakes her head once more “Aw, come on, pretty please? I’m 18”

“Sir, you look nowhere near 18, please come back when you have ID to prove it”

He knows he looks young. But he thought he looked at least his age. He groans and aims a kick at the sunglasses display on the way out, not hard enough to tip it because otherwise the guilt would set in and he’d spend the night cleaning the woman’s shop, but just hard enough to prove a point. She shouts something at him, but he’s already out the door. 

Dean runs his fingers through the mess of curls falling in front of his eyes. It’s probably better he left before Becky and Charlotte came back. He can’t risk being home after Regal. Regal was fair, but he wasn’t about to take a little shit like Dean sneaking out and getting wasted or high. He’s pretty sure he’ll be sober by the time he gets home. 

He detours through the park to throw up by some benches and then sit on those same benches. He tilts his head back to gulp in the fresh evening air, fingers drumming on the wood of the seat. He’s just about to give in and call Regal and ask for him to leave the party and come get him when someone sits next to him.

“You okay?” A voice asks and Dean is vaguely aware he’s probably about to be evangelised to.

“Fine”

“You don’t look fine”

“Aw thanks, makes me feel great”  
“I don’t mean...” The person beside him sighs and Dean actually looks up. He was expecting a street pastor or a cop or even some dude looking to pick him up. He wasn’t expecting the soft curls of brown and the doe eyes. The mystery boy’s tongue flicks along his lower lip as he looks at Dean with a weird pity.

“I’m good, dude”

“Yeah, well, wish it was me”

“How come?” Dean asks, like he’s suddenly invested in the kid’s story. He is a kid. He can’t be any older than Dean at least, at tops he’s 17, and he looks scared. 

“Fucking… kicked out” The boy says. He aims a kick at his bag “This is going to sound like bullshit anyway because you’re fucking drunk, but I was at a… training thing and… It went to shit and I just left”

“Training thing?”

“Mr Helmsley, Triple H, or whatever you guys call him around here, my dad knows him, he offered to take me in for a bit and I fucked up and I… I left?”

“You made it out alive?” The words pour from Dean’s mouth faster than he can stop them and the boy just looks at him in shock “You made it out, and you’re… you’re going to go back, right?”

The boy frowns because, and Dean realises it the moment it comes out his mouth, it sounds like a load of shit.

“No chance”

“You’ll have to, I mean, unless you want to die”

“Is that a threat?” The boy asks with a smirk. Dean rolls his eyes and looks away, anywhere is better than that face. The boy leans forward, chasing Dean’s attention like he’s desperate for it. Dean’s never really had someone after his attention, usually he’s chasing them.

“No, you’d know if it was” He says. His hand goes to his pocket and he feels for his phone. He’s in no mood to argue with the weird kid who’ll probably be dead by the end of the night.

“That sucks” The kid’s still chasing his attention and Dean doesn’t know how to deal with that “What’s your name?”

“Mox”

“Sounds fake, I’m Tyler”

“Sounds just as fake” Dean counters and the boy laughs. It’s an annoying laugh that Dean’s pretty sure that he shouldn’t like and much to his annoyance, actually likes. It makes him smile the same way Becky does when she makes a dumb pun. The boy notices and keeps in Dean’s personal space.

“True, though you’re good looking enough to carry off a dumb fake name” Dean blinks rapidly, staring at the boy, the supposed Tyler, with wide eyes “What? I’m not blind”

“You- what?” Dean’s used to flirting, to making boys blush, it’s not usually the other way around. He can feel the heat burning in his cheeks.

“You’re cute, Mox” He says flatly and Dean’s jaw just about touches the floor. Tyler seems to find this funny. He reaches forward to grab Dean, smiling wide. 

That’s when Dean’s stomach decides to abandon ship and he pukes all over the path in front of him.

*

Charlotte Flair saved Dean from the awkwardness that was realising that Seth Rollins hit on him aged 17 in a park. 

“Boys, my father wants to see you” She called out of an ornate doorway.

Dean grabbed Nikki’s shoulder and steered her towards the doorway with the fakest grin plastered on his face that he could muster. Nikki gave her a small mock salute as they marched into the room to be greeted by Becky who was talking to a man who could only be Ric Flair. She was animatedly nodding and motioning to the group entering. They grouped together like a unit, Dean and Nikki taking up the front while the 3 men nestled around them with Roman in the centre flanked by Finn and Seth. They were almost impressive for once. 

“That’s him” Finn whispered lowly to the group. Dean had to fight back the urge to whisper a ‘no shit’, instead focusing his attention on the Flair patriarch.  
He was everything that Regal had talked him up to be. 

The man turned towards them, Becky trailing in his wake, as he made his way towards them with a dazzling smile. Dean was pretty sure that Charlotte had gotten her presence and magnetism from him. He looked them over with an intense gaze that made Nikki squirm slightly. Dean squeezed his friend's shoulder in a supportive gesture. 

Charlotte bustled around the group with a cheery smile.

“Dad, meet my team!” She grinned widely. Becky coughed slightly, prompting Charlotte to add “Well, Becky and I’s team” with a small laugh. 

“Team… Charlynch?” Ric proposed with a short glance towards his daughter’s girlfriend before turning his attention to Nikki. He offered his hand to her and the young woman studied him for a moment before taking his hand “Ric Flair, you must be… Miss Cross?”

“Just Nikki, am the here to dae tech and hack!” She shook his hand so hard it was like she was trying to tear his arm off. Flair seemed to take it all in his stride, but just barely managed to extract his hand from Nikki to move on to Finn.

“Finn Balor, explosives” 

“Pleased to meet you, Mr Balor, I hear you’re quite the expert” Regal beamed at the Irishman, shaking his hand thoroughly. Finn looked like he was about to implode from the grin plastering his own face. Next came Roman, who reached through the centre of the gap between Nikki and Dean’s shoulders to shake Regal’s hand “I’m going to guess you’re Mr Reigns? Charlotte told me all about how hard she fought to get your little group on board”

“Yes sir, your daughter is quite persuasive” 

“She takes after me, of course,” Ric replied, turning to smile at his daughter who looked down at the ground with an attempt to suppress a smile. Ric turned towards Dean and Seth, pausing with a slight frown. Dean could feel himself losing the smile he’d plastered on as the man examined them both “Ah, Mr Rollins, Mr Ambrose, you two… hm… odd choices, Charlotte, all things considered”

“Yeah, I forgot to mention Dad, but they’re the best in their respective fields and-“

“I understand, we’ll talk about this later” He cut her off, his gaze still fixed on Dean and Seth. He offered his hand first to Dean “Mr Ambrose, still as… you as ever”

“I’d like to formally apologise for breaking your drainpipe like… 11 years ago, oh and for getting blood on Charlotte’s carpet when I broke my nose”

That actually brought a smile to Flair’s face.

“I thought that was you, though Becky took the fall, I considered having it DNA tested for a while” He commented. Behind Ric, Lynch gave a thumbs up and a smile. Charlotte looked a little shaken but Dean’s attempt to smooth over had brought a look of relief to her face. The Flair patriarch let go of Dean’s hand and patted his upper bicep gently “It’s been a while, it is good to see you again”

“You too sir” Dean answered.

Seth didn’t get as warm a welcome. Flair looked him up and down for a moment before offering his hand to shake quickly. Dean was almost smug. He didn’t even get a conversation like Dean. Ric Flair was certainly aware that Seth had far more of a past than he’d let on. Dean could vaguely remember some of Flair's events that Hunter had been at purely for show. Perhaps Seth had been there in the same capacity as Dean had been.

Ric turned towards his daughter. Becky had taken up position beside her, an arm around her shoulders. The pair looked like they were expecting the worse from the man. He waited for a beat before giving a long-suffering sigh “Yes, you two have my approval, congratulations, now, let them go have fun”

*

Dean and Nikki ended up outside sitting on someone’s limo, staring up at the sky with a whole stolen plate of little sandwiches and champagne flutes between them. It was better than inside where they both struggled through the rituals of socialisation. Nikki had hitched her dress up and tucked it into a pair of shorts she had been wearing underneath so she could cross her legs. Dean’s tie was long abandoned, shoved into his pocket, while his shirt had worked it's way untucked. There was no point in pretending to be something they weren’t. 

Nikki traced her hand lazily from star to star like a massive dot-to-dot puzzle that only she could see. The silences between them had always been comfortable for them to fall in to, especially when most people could never shut either of them up.

It was Nikki who broke first. She dropped her hand back down onto the car hood with a thud. 

“Why’d you let Seth hang ontae you like ‘at?”

“He asked to hold...” He said before letting his words die in his throat. He realised how stupid it sounded before he finished the thought “It was a way to get that woman off my back, that was all”

“Aye, but you let him haud you after she’d gone too”

She had a point. There was something comforting about how Seth had guided him around. The touch of his thumb against his hipbone was almost an echo of the comforting self-taps Dean did against his own collarbone.

“I did, huh?”

He picked up a sandwich and took a bite.

That was when the screaming started.


	10. Survival

“Nikki just fucking go and get help! We can’t do this alone, go get some Fatales” Dean was rifling through his pockets for his phone. It was buzzing as guests streamed out of the house. Nikki refused with a shake of her head. She tugged her dress up over her head and adjusted the shirt she'd been half wearing underneath, pushing her arms through the sleeves. Dean was hit by a wave of admiration for his short friend as he finally found his phone. Becky Lynch was calling. He couldn’t even get a greeting out of his mouth before she cut him off with a hushed whisper.

“Get yer arse in here and bring Cross, emergency”

She hung up.

Dean pulled his jacket off and tossed it unceremoniously on the ground. He glanced at Nikki. She was jumping up and down on the balls of her feet with a feverish excitement. Their eyes met.

To say they understood each other would be an understatement. They flowed together, every movement synced and flowing into the next. In another life, they could have been twins, but in this one, partners in crime would have to do. They didn’t often do jobs in a way where they’d both be in the same room at the same time, but when they did they were the same person split in two.

The guests parted around them like water. There was something dangerous about the two. Nikki nudged Dean’s arm as they walked up the stairs. They split from each other in the entrance way, skirting under the twin arches into the large room where the guests had been.

Seth, Roman and Finn were back to back in the centre of the room, their eyes darting rapidly. It was Roman who caught Dean’s entry into the room first. Their eyes met and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head, followed by a glance upwards at the balcony area above them. Dean nodded upwards to Nikki who seemed to take the hint. From nowhere she conjured a knife from out of her waistband and slid it across the hardwood floor noiselessly to Dean. 

He picked the knife up, weighing it in his hand. Fighting chance. Nikki disappeared back out the arch she’d come in from. Dean focused on trying to work out what was going on.

“Can we go?” Seth asked with a whiny sigh, his attention directed upwards at the balcony “I mean, some of us have business meetings to get to tomorrow”

“Shut your damn mouth, all you do is talk” A woman’s voice from directly above Dean called down “You three are staying right there until Ms Lynch and Ms Flair agree to come with us”

Becky and Charlotte were in danger. 

“Well, you can both piss off then!” A distinctly Irish voice replied. Dean had to fight the urge to laugh as Becky came storming out of the side room he’d met Ric in. Dean withdrew out of the room, heading up the stairs to the second floor. He met Nikki at the entrance to the balcony area.

A woman with long purple hair stood with her back to the entrance, a gun pointed down at the floor below her. It took a second for Dean to place her. This was Sasha Banks. If he could edge forward a little more, he could maybe see over the edge of the balcony. 

“Ms Lynch, Ah think that you should keep yer mouth shut” Another voice broke in, low and gravelly. Cross glanced over at Dean and mouthed the word ‘Scottish’ with a frown.

“I think you should tell us exactly why you’ve ruined my father’s party”

“Honestly I thought you of all people would know, Charlotte, but we’ll make it clear for you” Banks lowered her weapon to her side, leaning over the balcony. Nikki took a tentative step through the gaudy archway, her fingers twitching as she edged towards the woman in front of them “We want Dean Ambrose and a little birdie told us that you happen to be very good friends with him”

Becky scoffed. Dean could see her in his head folding her arms and rolling her eyes “Jesus, is this about Dean? Are we talking about the same guy? He’s a fucking mess, why would Hunter want him?”

“Can we go?” Finn asked, breaking through the tension “I mean, we’ve got no clue what yer talking about”

"You just can't keep your mouth shut, can you? If you can't learn to keep quiet, we can always teach you" Sasha sneered from the balcony. Dean crouched down beside Nikki and the pair squirmed forward silently. There was only one option. 

They reached in sync for Sasha’s weapons. Cross easily slipped the pistol at Bank’s waist into her own hand. The gun she was holding onto would prove trickier for Dean. Nikki withdrew with a grin back towards the doors leaving Dean to figure out the logistics of disarming Banks. Actually taking the gun off her would be something close to impossible, but if he didn’t get rid of the gun quickly he would probably be on the receiving end of it.

The woman shifted and Dean’s hands moved faster than he’d ever moved in his life. His fingers caught the clip and pulled it out in one fluid motion and he immediately threw himself back to meet Nikki. The pair of them immediately scattered down the stairs soundlessly. 

They stopped midway to gather themselves. The pair crouched low, foreheads pressed together. Nikki tapped Dean’s hand rhythmically like she was trying to match their heartbeats.

“Who the fuck is ‘at?” Nikki questioned quietly, tossing the gun to Dean. She was frowning as she attempted to piece together the correlation between the woman with the gun, the Scottish man, and Dean Ambrose. 

“No fucking clue, Niks” He answered with a lie, not daring to raise his voice above a whisper. His fingers pressed against the stone of the staircase while he tried to come up with something that would save them, something that would distract-

Dean stood up. He handed Nikki back her knife, took a deep breath, and then took off down the stairs. Nikki didn’t even need to ask him what his game plan was. He glanced back at her as he approached the archway. She gave him a small smile. He smiled back. Things were interesting when neither of them had all that much self-control. 

Dean Ambrose took a deep breath and ran full pelt at the man with long dark hair and dropped him to the floor with his entire body weight before he could turn his gun on him. 

He could hear the shouts from the people around him as he wrestled the gun away from the scotsman with as much grace as a baby deer on ice. A punch caught his jaw and he felt himself being pulled upright and hugged against someone’s body as Roman piled onto the guy, Drew McIntyre Dean assumed, on the floor. He could hear Nikki laughing almost manically as someone shouted from out in the hall. 

Whoever was holding him let him go and he skidded out into the hallway to find his friend.

Nikki Cross clung to Sasha Banks, her arms locked across Banks’ neck in a rudimentary chokehold. She’d somehow managed to catch the taller woman and take her down. She grinned upwards at her friend as Dean approached her, letting go of the passed out Banks. Nikki rolled Sasha over, planting a knee in the centre of her back, scrunching up her face.

“You good, sugar?”

“Yeah, jist took this yin oot the game” She pressed down a little harder as Banks stirred “They awright?” She asked with a nod towards the other room. Dean glanced behind him to where Roman had McIntyre pinned against the floor.

“Yeah, they… have this all under control. Need a hand?”

“Am good” She shifted and rolled her neck “Whit are we meant tae dae wae ‘em?”

He shrugged and crouched down, pulling Nikki’s face from her face. She’d gotten fairly messed up from launching herself at Sasha. It was a wonder she’d taken her out without… Dean frowned and touched Nikki’s face. She winced as he ran fingertips past her cheekbone. 

He was about to ask if she was okay before the woman under her made a noise and Nikki snapped her head down to check she was still restrained enough by her body.

“Anybody gonna help?” Dean called with a sigh. Charlotte appeared with her arm around her father, his phone pressed against his ear as he talked animatedly to the other side.

“Dad’s on to the police, Dean, Nikki, just… keep her there”

“That wis the plan” Nikki grumbled. Nikki and Dean exchanged looks and Nikki leant off of Banks to let Dean press her shoulders down with his hands. Cross stretched out her leg and sat down with a frown as Charlotte and Ric walked away from the pair “Whit’s the point of being a team when they don’t even help?”

Dean was about to respond when Roman emerged from the room, the tall Scottish man in front of him. He twisted him onto the floor beside Nikki and Dean. The man didn’t resist, instead turned his face towards Dean with a sly smile.

“Well, hello there, Dean”

Roman used a fistful of McIntyre’s hair to slam his face off the ground.

“Do not talk to him, actually don’t talk to either of them” He growled protectively. He nodded to Dean and Nikki, his tone taking on a softer note tinged with concern “You good?”

“Fan-daby-dozy” Nikki responded, “Ah mean, we’re alive, right?”

Both Dean and Roman looked at her with a slight worried look crossing both their faces. Dean reached out to touch Nikki’s arm with a slight hum. She rolled her eyes and let him touch her arm.

“Niks?”

“Ahm fine” She sighed. He reached up to brush her hair from her face. A wicked bruise was forming around her right eye, bright reds and blues popping up from her skin. It looked sore, maybe she’d broken something. Dean didn’t like the image of Nikki being actually hurt. He could imagine the absolute hell he’d get from her boys if they found out “Jist a bruise”

“What happened, Cross?” Roman asked.

“She elbowed me, it’s not that big a deal”

“Nikki, we need to get that seen to,” Dean said automatically. He might not have had much regard for his own safety, but Nikki’s was paramount. The woman twisted away from him with a hiss.

“Ahm not fucking fragile, will ye all jist fucking drap it”

Her accent was a torrent of washed out vowels. She got to her feet and marched outside with a deep scowl on her face. Dean felt the urge to go after his friend but the body under his hands said otherwise. A deep chuckle came from McIntyre.

“Why am I not surprised she’s Scottish?"

“Shut up” Dean and Roman hissed in unison.

*

Charlotte and Ric took over, sending Becky, Dean, Nikki and the boys away. After all, the Flairs were less likely to throw up red flags in a questioning situation than someone like Dean who had a less than favourable juvenile record. Becky took Nikki home, the shorter woman still in an indecipherable mood with everyone. She had skulked off sullenly and refused to talk to anyone except Becky.

Dean didn’t even get his usual clingy hug goodbye. He felt like he was missing a part of himself.

Roman steered him into the car, setting him in the front passenger seat. The man reached a hand over to squeeze Dean’s thigh gently as he started to drive. It was like he was trying to comfort him in some sense. Dean didn’t draw away but he resigned himself to pressing his forehead against the cool glass of the window as the car moved. Finn and Seth were oddly quiet in the backseat, exchanging soft conversation that didn't include the rest of the car. It was apparent that everyone was running low on energy.

Charlotte had told them to get some sleep and they’d meet to talk about everything the next night. Sleep sounded good to Dean. 

He rolled out the car when they parked in the garage without a second thought, sloping off towards the stairs. Someone grabbed his wrist tight enough that he couldn’t break the hold with a good tug. Dean turned back to Roman who was staring at him with worried eyes.

“What?”

“Debrief?”

“It wasn’t a job, Reigns, I don’t need-“ He was cut off by Roman pulling him tight into a hug. Dean tensed for a second before gently patting Roman’s back “Yeah, sure, debrief”

He ended up on the sofa, wedged in the corner, trying to keep himself awake. Someone had made coffee and Seth was nursing his close to his chest as if he’d never let go. Roman had an arm curled around the back of Seth, half-holding him against his shoulder. Finn was busy ditching items of clothing around the room as he stripped off his suit. 

Dean shut his eyes and tipped his head back. Everything seemed to be going the opposite of his way recently. Everything was out to get him.

Finally, Finn dropped onto the couch beside Dean, his shirt unbuttoned and his hair sticking up at odd angles.

“Let’s get this straigh’” Finn shifted, drawing Dean’s attention. He opened his eyes and looked at the man with a slight frown “We jus’ had t’ take out Hunter’s favourite murderers an’-“ He poked a finger at Seth “-you are clearly still hiding shite from us even after we’ve been together for 2 years, Seth, and yer still strugglin’ t’ talk t’ us”

“Don’t start on me, Finn, this isn’t about me because just in case you didn't notice, it was Dean that they wanted ”

“Don’t turn this on me, Seth!” Dean snapped “I’ve laid all my shit out on the table, I don’t give a shit anymore about any of you knowing who I am or who I’m not, none of it fucking matters”

Seth withdrew against Roman who sighed with a shake of his head. Dean took a deep breath to stabilise himself.

“I’m not a prodigy, I never was, the whole world thinks that once a rich morally grey guy adopts you and you’re suddenly the best thief in the world” Dean dug his fingers into his own thigh “I’m not, I’m just a guy who got really fucked over, same as you Seth”

“Dean…” Seth said quietly, his whole body fraught with tension.

“We did shit we weren’t ever meant to do that young, Jesus, Regal told me there was a kid out there killing people and I never put two and two together but it was you” Dean screwed his eyes shut. Becky Lynch. Seth Rollins. Dean Ambrose. Just three kids who had been messed up in very unique ways. Becky was better off than the two boys by a long shot, but that was only because she had Charlotte. Charlotte was shielded from the worst of it because of her dad. Dean couldn’t imagine what Seth had seen with Hunter “You’re as fucked up as I am”

“Yeah? Well at least I’m not threatening everyone else’s safety” Seth shook off Roman’s comforting hands and stood up. His voice rose to a brash loudness that Dean had never heard come out of Seth before. Despite his argumentative nature, Dean hated yelling. Seth’s voice made him shrink in on himself “I’m going to my room”

He stormed up the stairs, his head down as he went leaving Finn and Roman to stare after him before turning their attention to Dean who had balled himself up on the sofa. 

“Dean?” Finn asked, his voice low and soft. It was like he was talking to an injured animal.

“Fuck off” 

There was a slight muttering and the couch shifted. Someone placed their hands on Dean’s ankles, trying to draw him out of his self-imposed cocoon. Fat chance, he thought. He’d spent nights like this as a kid locked in his bedroom alone with his back pressed against the door and he’d happily spend them like it as an adult. 

“Dean, come on uce, open up for me” He felt the hands move and rest on his arms. Dean attempted to squeeze himself smaller. There was something to a thief who could make himself so small he could be invisible “Hey, hey, come on don’t…”

“Just fuck off” Dean tried once more. Roman refused to move. He had a feeling he wouldn’t until he looked up. Carefully he unwound himself from his tight knot, joints groaning with relief as he stretched them out “Fine, okay, coming out”

“That’s it, baby, would you like me to take you up to your room?”

“I’m not a kid, Roman” Dean muttered. The larger man smiled and reached up to brush hair out of Dean’s face. He slid a finger down over Dean’s cheekbone then across his jaw like he was committing Dean’s face to memory. He stopped at Dean’s chin with a sigh.

“I’m aware you’re not a kid, Dean, I just… I need to be with someone right now and Seth’s… Seth, and I think you need someone too”

Dean looked at Roman, the tired dark circles and the sloping curve of a smile that didn’t quite seem to reach his eyes. 

“Okay”

Roman wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulders as they walked to Dean’s room. Dean didn’t miss the look he threw at the tightly closed door to Seth’s room. He would have suggested Roman go talk to Seth, but he didn’t want to be alone either. He hated being alone.

*

Dean sat on his bed, his legs crossed as he leant forward to watch Roman pace his room. He looked like some kind of proud lion. He shut his eyes listening to the soft thump of his footfalls as Roman moved. Scout pressed her warm nose against the back of Dean’s hand and he opened her eyes to pull her onto his lap.  
“You can sit down”

“Don’t wanna intrude on your personal space”

“Roman, you won’t be, I mean, this isn’t really my space anyway”

Roman looked like he was going to say something but instead decided to move towards the bed, sitting down softly. Scout launched herself onto him, snuggling up against his broad chest. Dean smiled. He was suddenly very aware of how handsome Roman was, how he looked so at ease with the dog that was attempting to find a home in his arms, he didn’t look like the contract killer Dean knew he was.

At least Dean looked like a thief.

“She likes you” Dean murmured. Roman looked up with a smile playing on his lips “She likes attention, even when she was a stray she like… trotted right up to me and was like “pet me, man” and you can’t say no to those eyes”

“We both seem to pick up strays, huh?” Roman deadpanned. Dean let out a small laugh. He shifted closer to Roman, reaching out a hand to pet Scout “Seth, Finn, Nikki…” He glanced down at the dog on his lap, watching as Dean’s hand curled in the dog’s fur “Scout”

“I mean, technically Nikki picked me up, like she found me” Dean paused a second before slipping into a terrible impersonation of Nikki’s accent “You, ah like you, we’re gonnae be a team and you canny say naw”

Roman laughed a warm laugh that made Dean’s stomach twist with excitement. He took a minute to collect himself before “She’s something else, isn’t she?”

“She’s got a charm to her”

“Just like her brother” Roman said quietly. Dean blinked in confusion “You, Dean, you have a special charm to you”

“Oh”

Dean felt like his breath had been punched out of him. He really didn’t deal well with compliments. He balled his hands up in the fabric of the bedsheets, glancing down at his knees. Even when Regal had told him he’d done well, he still felt like it wasn’t good enough. He groaned internally as he recalled countless times he’d shut down under the pressure of compliments. He really was fucked up.

“Dean?” Roman pushed Scout off his lap gently to move closer to Dean. He grabbed Dean’s hand, drawing it close to him. It took Dean a second to draw himself back into the moment “Hey, come on sweetheart, you can always talk to me about anything”

“Sorry, just… thinking”

“You looked pale, I was worried”

“I’m sorry”

“No, no” Roman rushed to placate Dean’s apology “You don’t have to apologise for thinking, I was worried about you, I worry about… you and Seth and Finn a lot more than I should”

Dean blinked slowly, staring at Roman. The man looked like he wanted to ask Dean for more than he was giving away. He could ask and Dean would probably spill straight away. Correction, he didn’t need to ask.

“I had a shitty childhood, Ro, I mean… it wasn’t really a childhood, it was survival” He could hear the quiver in his voice as he spoke. He hadn’t talked about any of this since… since Sanity had asked one night. The 4 of them had listened intently, unusually quiet, as Dean spoke and pulled him into a dogpile of hugs as soon as he finished. They made him feel loved when he was vulnerable and that was something Dean could never forget “You don’t turn out like me if you have one of those good rich families, you don’t turn out like me if you’re not adopted by some thief that drops out of your life when you’re 18 and he’s about to be fucking killed”

“Oh, Dean” Roman said softly.

“I fucking… Jesus Christ I was 25 when they… I feel so fucking drained, Roman” Dean shut his eyes tightly, trying to fight off the memories that made him shiver. He wasn’t encouraging squeeze of his hand “I want out of all of this, but I can’t because Regal made me… god never mind”

“Regal made you what?” Roman asked. The bed shifted and he felt Roman’s arm slide to around his waist. Roman even smelt good, Dean didn’t know why he was surprised about that fact, or why it even mattered to him “Dean, no secrets, baby boy, come on”

“He always told me… that if and when I wanted out, I needed to do something so big that nobody would ever forget what I did” Dean felt himself lean against the strong body beside him as he talked. Roman leant his chin on the top of Dean’s head, holding him tightly against his chest “Because we're made to be forgotten eventually, but you hear about the McMahon job and you remember the thief, maybe not his name, but you know what he did”

“Is that what you want Dean?”

“I don’t know… the future is… I don’t get it, I’m 27, Roman, maybe I want… maybe I want to settle down, I don’t know, kids like me aren’t meant to settle down and have a life outside of this”

“You made it, baby boy, you’re alive and you’re full of so much… heart” Roman’s voice dropped to a whisper, the words reverberating low around the base of Dean’s skull as the man burrowed his head into his hair. Dean could feel every inch of him against him like a warm blanket.  
Comforting.

“Do you want to stay?” Dean asked quietly. His stomach felt like it was twisting and turning. He’d just bared his soul to Roman, it would only be polite for him to stay.

Roman smiled.

“Sure, Dean”


	11. Calling Old Friends

The fuzzy haze of late morning brought with it a buzzing headache and a dead arm for Dean Ambrose. It was only when he tried to move that he realised the dead arm was entirely because Roman Reigns was lying on top of it. He was lying on his side, turned towards Dean with an arm tossed over his stomach.

He remembered talking to the early hours of the morning, Roman pressed against his back with his arms around him like he was holding onto something precious. They stopped talking about Dean, or at least, Dean had stopped talking about Dean. He coaxed little pieces about Roman and the others out of the man.

He was 27, like him, he had a big family who all did some serious shit. There was a long line of bodyguards, enforcers and assassins. All big high ranking people making their marks. His cousin, Jimmy, was the reason they were here. He was married to one of the Fatales and he’d heard through him that Becky and Charlotte were looking for Cerberus.

That, Dean discovered with a smile, also meant that the same Jimmy and Naomi that Nikki was with were Roman’s family. In a weird way, it was a comfort to know that Nikki wasn’t all alone in the big wide world. 

Roman had met Finn a little over 3 years ago over in Japan. Finn had been a model before then, but after he and a few friends pulled off a heist on one of Shirai’s places that had… a rather explosive finish, Roman picked him up. He had been planning on getting a team together anyway and after much observation, he found that Finn could do more than just look pretty. Finn was smart, he played the long game. He’d gotten into fashion to bump shoulders with the powerful and rich and take them down with just a smile. And some C4. 

Seth was a more recent addition, 2 years ago. Just after he’d sold some plans, Roman said with a shrug. Dean knew what that meant. Roman had found him interesting. He was young, like Finn and Roman, and desperate to make an impression. He’d actually came to them. He had full on tracked them down in a safe house that Roman was sure was impossible to find. Not for Seth. He’d brazenly knocked on the door and asked if they needed an assassin.

And Roman liked that.

He had stopped pushing when Roman seemed to go back into himself. Dean talked about Nikki. Nikki was unbelievable. The things they’d done together, the nights they’d spent trying to plan a job when Killian would throw Nikki over his shoulder and take her to bed and then come back and take Dean too. Everything about Dean’s dumb stories seemed to make Roman smile. Roman was gorgeous when he smiled and Dean had pretty much made it his nights mission to see him smile more often.

Dean reached for his phone to check the time. 10 Am. He hadn’t slept that late since that one time he’d had the flu and crashed out on Kevin’s couch for 2 days while Sami worriedly fussed over him like he was a hair's breadth from death. He attempted to wiggle out from Roman, only to fail and fall back on the bed with a groan.  
Roman moved, rolling off of Dean’s arm and opening his eyes slowly. 

“Morning, Dean” Roman rasped with a voice heavy with sleep. Dean managed to extract his arm from under him and sat up, pulling his shirt away from his stomach to try to readjust it. Roman raised his eyebrows and stretched his arms out, still focused on Dean “Do you know you talk in your sleep, babe”

“I talk when I’m awake too” Dean shrugged. It wasn’t unusual for him to talk in his sleep. Eric had told him one day that he talked about pretty normal everyday things. Apparently, he’d had a conversation about groceries. Eric seemed to find it the funniest thing in the world at the time and Dean was inclined to agree. He was internally grateful that he didn’t share all his secrets and that his subconscious at least had some sort of filter.

“Point taken, though I feel like ‘Aw shit I forgot to tell Kevin that I broke the shelves” isn’t really your go-to line when you’re awake” Roman laughed with a small smile. Dean frowned and wracked his brains to try and work out why on earth he’d been dreaming about being back at his old work. Roman sat up and swung his legs off the opposite side of the bed to stand up in one fluid motion. 

“Hey, sometimes the craftsmanship of shelves in dreams are just bad” Dean shrugged. He could feel a familiar itch in his hands as he sat up against the cushions. His hand found its way to his collarbone, insistent in its tapping “Odd question, but do you have like… knives here?“

“Really odd question, Dean, really odd” Roman stared at himself in the mirror as he took his hair down, running his hand through the dark strands. Dean gave his best puppy dog eyes, making Roman smile “But, I’ll see what I can do for you”

“Don’t worry, It’s only to keep me busy, I don’t plan on stabbing you”

“Now I’m really worried”

Roman left Dean to get dressed. He discarded the shirt and pants in the corner of the room and rifled through his emergency bag for a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. It was much more his speed than the previous night’s wear. He pulled on a pair of old trainers and a hoodie before heading downstairs to the gym. He grabbed a cereal bar from the kitchen on the way down, swallowing it back as he considered his work out options.

Usually, he’d go out for a run. He’d grab the bus out to the hills outside the city and just run until his lungs were on fire and he had to come back. It reminded him of Vegas. It was impossible considering the current situation he found himself in. He resigned himself to using the treadmill until his chest burned in just the right way.

He was 20 minutes in when he heard the door open. He kept his head down, listening to the sound of his own footsteps as he ran. He timed the heavy thuds with the sound of the person approaching, looking out of the corner of his eye as Seth’s shape bustled around the room. He was just about to speed up when he noticed Seth approaching.

He wasn’t expecting the hand to hit the cool-down button.

“Do you have to physically plan on being annoying when you get up in the morning or is it an evolutionary ingrained instinct?”

“We need to talk”

“I can talk and run”

“Yeah but you probably won’t listen properly”

Dean took a deep breath as he accepted his grim fate. However, Seth left him to his cool-down, which was a welcome relief. He took his sweet time stretching out afterwards, precious seconds of ignoring Seth until the man wrapped up in the black hoodie caught his attention with a snap in front of his face.

Dean looked down at the man in front of him with slight interest. After all, Seth didn’t usually want to talk to him. He looked like he’d hardly slept. Dean felt like he’d been blessed to have Roman there to talk him through the night.

“Fine, what’s up?”

“I want to… talk to you” Seth said slowly. Dean swallowed back the ‘no shit’ bubbling at the back of his brain and nodded for Seth to continue. Seth seemed to be slightly confused by the lack of a biting comment, taking a second to collect himself before going on “About what happened… about everything actually…”

Dean froze up. The end of this job couldn’t come soon enough. The sooner it was all over, the sooner he could get rid of Seth and all the baggage that came with him. He hadn’t thought about his teenage years since… well, he couldn’t remember when. Seth triggered memories that sent him back into the past that he didn’t want to remember. 

“Can we do this another time?” Dean asked. He dropped his gaze to avoid Seth’s. He couldn’t fight the sick feeling that was climbing up from his stomach. 

“No, Dean, we can’t”

“Then how about we do this… never?” He was halfway up the stairs when Seth caught his arm and pulled him back. He spun to meet Rollins with a vicious growl. The shorter man immediately drew himself up to meet Dean’s height defensively. Dean took a deep breath. He thought about Roman. He didn’t want to end up annoying him. Or getting hurt. Or hurting Seth. When he eventually spoke, it was short and clipped as he attempted to keep calm “Take your hands off of me… please”

Seth didn’t let go, instead he led Dean backwards down the stairs. Dean let him, he didn’t want to start a fight, and didn’t even attempt to leave when Seth made him sit down on the pile of boxes in the corner. 

Dean shut his eyes, rolled his neck, and then opened his eyes again.

Seth was still in front of him. He was clutching Dean’s forearm like he was going to pull it off of him if he made the wrong move.

“Can we please talk?”

“Fine, make it quick emosaurus” Dean sighed. Seth’s lips quirked upwards in a slight smile.

“Look, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable last night… when I… you know, I just wanted to make sure you were okay and… I wanted to make up for being an ass by giving you a hand” He started. Dean opened his mouth to start talking but Seth immediately shh-ed him “No, Dean, I wanna… say thank you for you and Nikki and especially you… you’re kinda crazy man, but you did something selfless and considering I was there… you’re a good man”

Dean made a soft ‘o’ sound, looking at Seth who was staring at him with those big doe eyes that Dean would have found irresistible if they didn’t belong to Seth.

“And… I know what you’re going through, so please… just talk to me Dean, please”

Seth finished, his head dropping and letting go of Dean’s arm with a sigh. 

“We really are both as fucked up as each other” Dean leant back against the wall, studying the man in front of him. It suddenly occurred to him that Seth Rollins was still Tyler who’d laughed and chased his attention on a park bench and rubbed his back when he threw up all over the path in front of him. Maybe he was older, and maybe he had more experience now, but he still wanted Dean’s attention. He still wanted to be liked. Dean could understand that. Maybe Dean was still Mox who drank too much and just wanted someone to understand him. Maybe they were equal “Just so we’re clear though, this doesn’t make us best friends, I'm not doing trust falls with you”

“Yeah, I didn’t think it would” Seth shrugged. He took a step away from Dean “Civil?”

“Civil.”

Seth gave him a small smile and disappeared upstairs. Dean half closed his eyes. His work out was ruined and he had no idea what to do next.

He hopped off of the boxes and made his way back upstairs to throw himself down on the couch. This was his least favourite part of long jobs like this one. The waiting, the endless boredom, the constant state of anxiety. Scout trotted past him from the garden with a ball in her mouth looking remarkably smug. One of the Fatales Dean had grown used to popping in and out, Bayley, followed with an excitable bounce in her step. She waved cheerily to Dean as she passed.

“Got Scout a few toys! Hope you’re good with that!”

“Perfect, thank you, Bayley, I was gonna ask someone to pick some up… lemme get you some money for them” He went to stand up but Bayley waved him off.

“Nah! Don’t be silly, Dean, it’s my treat for her!” She gave him a smile that practically glowed “Besides, I’m off to a job, Becks told me to just check and make sure you were all okay and tell you that McIntyre and… Banks are under arrest but they’re probably gonna be out after Hunter gets wind”

Her smile dropped when she mentioned Sasha’s name but Dean didn’t question it. Sometimes you knew people on the opposing side, it wasn’t that uncommon. He’d heard of people trying to hire Becky to kill Dean or that time Dean had been asked to grab some information on the Fatales. Neither of them had ever done something like that, but it was always entirely possible for them to end up coming face to face in a dark room.

She quickly got her smile back and bounced out of the room. Bayley was a relatively new Fatale. Dean was aware of most of the core members from old jobs, but the people who were coming in and out of the house were only just coming up. Sometimes dropping in on contacts and gathering intel was enough to put someone off and so Becky never expected anyone to become a stone-cold killer in their first week.

Dean got up from the couch and sloped off upstairs. He was halfway up when Roman materialised at the top fully dressed.

“Babe, might wanna get ready to go, Becks just called” 

“Oh fuck, gimme 5” Dean hopped up the remaining stairs and squeezed past Roman. The bigger man stopped him with a large hand against his chest. Roman dipped his head to speak softly in his ear.

“Take your time and get in the zone, baby boy”

Dean nodded and the pressure on his chest from Roman’s hand disappeared. He rounded the corner into the hallway and into his room. 

In the centre of the bed, there was an entirely too ornate looking flick knife with a post-it-note set underneath it. Dean picked it up.

‘Hope this is good for you, Take care of it– Ro :)’

Dean turned the handle over in his hand. It was pretty. It was a cooling pearl material that Dean enjoyed sliding his thumb over. He flicked it out.

‘Shield’

He traced the engraving. This was more than just some expensive fancy knife, it clearly had some meaning behind it. His heart gave a jump as he slowly came to the realisation that Roman Reigns trusted him with something so important. He only wanted a knife to fiddle about with but now this one would never leave his equipment. He folded the knife back and locked it.

He emerged from the room 10 minutes later dressed in the dark clothes he’d become accustomed to, minus the bulletproof vest, with the knife tucked away in his back pocket. He’d snagged the tape from his box at the warehouse just in case and he wrapped it around his left wrist as he thudded downstairs.

He tore the edge with his teeth as he rounded the side of the stairs to come face to face with Cerberus huddled together talking in hushed voices.

“Finn Balor, you’re going to be amazing, you have this uce” Roman said quietly. Finn bobbed his head in response, backing out of the huddle. Roman’s hands dropped onto Seth’s shoulders “Seth, babe, keep your head, you got this”

He punctuated the statement by pressing a kiss to Seth’s forehead. Seth’s eyelids fluttered shut for a moment before he pulled away. Dean’s stomach jolted but he brushed it off as simply nerves. 

“Do I get like the pep talk or am I going without?” Dean asked with an attempt at a smile. Roman and Seth turned to face him. Roman smiled.

“Oh! Lookin’ sharp, Dean!” Finn called with a nod to Dean as he scanned down his body.

“Not a piece of meat, Balor! Making me feel all kinds of things with those eyes!” Dean pressed a hand over his heart and pulled a face. Finn chuckled before Dean continued “Also hope that wasn’t your pep talk because if that was, someone needs lessons!”

Roman walked over to him and slung an arm over his shoulder, giving him a sideways hug. He squeezed his arm gently before starting “Okay, pep talk for Dean… any ideas?”

“Don’t kill anyone if you can help it?” Finn grinned.

“Don’t pull your earpiece out?” Seth butted in with a smirk.

“Eat yer 5 fruit and veg”

“Go to the toilet before we leave”

"Don't eat yellow snow"

“Do as I say, not as I do”

 

“You two, go to the car” Roman groaned. Finn and Seth exchanged a grin before bouncing out of the room. Roman turned to Dean, his hands resting on Dean’s biceps “You’re ready, right?”

“I’m always ready” Dean answered with a small smile playing on his lips. Despite his reassurance, Roman’s grip tightened slightly.

“Keep your cool, breath, and if you need us, tell us, okay?” Roman dipped his head to press his forehead against Dean’s. His deep brown eyes met Dean’s bright blues. Dean nodded wordlessly “You call and I’ll come running, babe”

Dean swallowed, unable to tear his eyes away from Roman. He fought to find words for a second before mumbling a “Yeah, well, I don’t plan on getting in trouble”

Roman laughed and pulled away. 

“You got this, babe”

*

Becky was in fight mode. Dean could tell something was wrong from the second he walked in the room. She was tense and didn’t even look up at the arrival of the 4 men, instead she kept her eyes fixed on the screen Cross was showing her, motioning for them to join her. Nikki looked just as tense, tapping her fingers on the keyboard rapidly while she focused in on the black and white security footage on her screen. 

Dean crept forward to peer over Nikki’s shoulder. 

The screen glitched slightly and Dean frowned. Nikki bashed her hand off the keyboard and the recording skipped back. There was Charlotte coming out of the police station.

Then glitch. Then there was nothing but the stairs to the building. Nikki rewound. The same footage played with the same glitch that overlaid the screen. Replay. This time Nikki slowed the footage and paused at the glitch. For a split second, the logo of a very familiar operation stared back at them.

‘D I Y’

Again. Pause.

‘D I Y’

Again. Pause.

‘D I Y’

Again. Pause.

Dean placed a hand on Nikki’s shoulder before the woman could play the footage again. She jumped and looked up. Her eyes were puffy, bloodshot. Dean tightened his grip on her shoulder and she leant her head against his arm. Roman came up behind him to touch his back.

These men. These 3 men would never know what Charlotte Flair meant to the world.

Charlotte Flair was far more than Ric Flair’s daughter. She was more than the Fatale’s second in command. She was a girlfriend, a staunch, loyal friend who’d never let Dean down and a woman who stood by them all even though they were all a little damaged at the end of the day.

Dean shook his head and tore his attention away from the screen. His jaw tensed as he pushed Roman away from him and turned to Becky.

“Lynch, give me the job details” He said gruffly. Becky turned. She’d been crying but her stare was anything but sad. She was resolute, her gaze refusing to waiver from Dean’s. A small hint of a smile started to lift one corner of her mouth. 

“Charlotte Flair, second in command of the Lynch Fatales” Her voice caught on Charlotte’s name. Becky took a deep breath to compose herself before continuing “Flair was taken this morning around 12:54 pm from outside the police department by the group known as DIY led by Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano after making a follow-up statement after last night's events”

“They knew we’d be watchin’ so they left us a wee message” Nikki cut in. She spun around in the chair, hitting the keyboard on the way around so the screen showed DIY’s logo “But they don’t know whit ah know”

“Which is?” Finn asked.

“Do ye know whit Ciampa called me? Childish, Insane, fucking mental, but there’s one ‘hing Ciampa's never banked on” A toothy smile grew across her face “He doesn't know am the best hacker who’s ever lived”

She turned back to the computer and typed in a string of numbers into a command box.

“Ahm not insane, I know exactly whit am daeing” She dragged up a screen and turned back to the group behind her “Ye see, Becky’s wee USB overloaded their systems and well, they always ‘hink they’re smarter than us… but some idiot didn’t think to check if we’d opened a back door to their systems”

A video feed started on the screen. Tommaso Ciampa’s face came into view as he typed away on his computer. His mouth was moving as he spoke to someone off the screen, but the sound was quiet. Nikki turned to cut the feed and Roman groaned.

“Nikki we needed to-“

“No, we don’t need it” Becky rolled over Roman with a confidence that seemed to have come entirely from Nikki’s spark “We heard it all before you came in, they have Charlotte at-“

Nikki cut in “Their old hideout, apparently Gargano’s having some real trouble with her though-“

“’cause Charlotte wouldn’t go down without a fight” Becky finished. She looked down at the computer one last time before patting Nikki’s shoulder “Thank you, Nikki”

Nikki looked down at her hands, kicking her legs back and forward with a bashful smile. Dean couldn’t help but feel a small burst of pride. Nikki had lived and breathed Fatale since she was 19 years old and the appreciation of the leader who she had looked up to for so long was no small thing for Cross.

“I’m pulling Fatales for backup, they’ll be stationed at key areas to storm in if anything goes wrong” Becky explained as she pulled her phone out “I want you 4 together as a team” She motioned at the men in front of her “I’ll be on extraction with…” She thought for a moment as she swiped down on her phone “Dean, you remember Lita and Trish, right?”

Finn’s jaw dropped at the names.

“Yer joking! Like… Trish Stratus and Lita? They’re Fatales? They're legends!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say Fatales, but we know them… pretty well”

“They had their own operation for a while, back when Hunter was a good guy” Dean informed Finn with an excited smile.

Lita and Trish were two of the people at Ric’s parties that actually deigned to talk to Becky and himself like people when he was invited as Regal’s plus one. He hadn’t seen them since before Shawn split and really sent the whole system into disarray. The last time he’d seen them, it had been entirely by accident. Dean was 20 and Kevin had made him go post flyers in shops and he’d been practically dragged into a side street by Lita. He thought he was going to get robbed. Both the woman had been ecstatic to see him. Apparently, they’d all expected that Regal would have taken Dean considering he was barely 18 when it had all went down. Trish had (not so subtly) asked if he knew where William Regal had disappeared off to and while she was disappointed to hear that Dean had no clue where he was, she was happier to see that Dean was still very much alive.

Dean really hadn’t expected to hear from them. He hardly heard anything from Becky or Charlotte back then. But he’d fully expected that Lita and Trish they would have left the city just after Shaun went. To hear they were still around was a welcome surprise.

“Hunter was a good guy?” Roman asked incredulously. Becky and Dean exchanged a look. ‘In a way’ Becky’s expression seemed to say. Sometimes it was hard to remember that people didn’t grow up in the same way they did. Roman and Finn hadn’t seen the fall of Vince then the rise of Hunter. Granted, Dean and Becky had only been 11 when Vince had gone down, but they remembered the change in the air when Hunter, Shaun and Stephanie had started to show up in the news. Hunter had been good for a while. It wasn’t until Dean was coming up for 17 that things had started changing.

Once upon a time, Regal had relied on Hunter and spoke excitedly about the kingpin of the city. Then the world had changed. Then Dean was alone.

“We’ll talk about this later, boys, we don’t really have time to spare” Becky lifted her phone to her ear. She shooed them away “Go get ready!”

The 4 of them scurried out of the room, leaving Nikki to type excitedly on her keyboard and Becky to make her phone calls. Dean opened his box and hunkered down to examine its contents. He could feel an odd sensation settling in his stomach as he got ready to take on the world. He slid the knife from the box into his belt and frowned.

The situation was beginning to become unnaturally real to Dean. Charlotte Flair was more than just a job and Dean had really no idea what he was going to do.

Dean felt entirely numb as he pulled on the bulletproof vest and adjusted his belt. He pulled the knife Roman had given him out of his pocket, flicking the blade in and out as the other men buzzed around as they prepared. The confidence he had felt had started to dissipate.

He flicked the knife out. He studied the engraving searching for the answers to the nervous questions swirling around his brain. Finn scurried past him and down the stairs with something clutched in his hands that Dean couldn’t identify. He was quickly followed by Roman who didn’t look amused at all. He flicked the knife back in and was about to lock it when someone touched his shoulder.

He jumped, automatically flicking the knife out. 

“Dean! Fuck! How about you don’t stab me?” Seth threw his hands up defensively and stepped back. Dean took a second before laughing slightly and flicking the knife back closed and locking it this time. 

“Sorry, but should really know by now to never touch a man with a knife”

“I like danger” Seth attempted with a half grin, raising his eyebrows. Dean rolled his eyes good-naturedly. Seth wasn’t that bad, he decided, just… not that great “I only wanted to check if you were good, you were out of it”

“I’m good, just thinking, you know… one of your best friends gets kidnapped and it kinda messes with your head”

“Best friend?”

“Yeah, I know, how does the high school drop out on the streets become best friends with a Flair?” He could feel himself smiling slightly as he thought about Charlotte “I’m apparently very charming”

Seth laughed, but Dean could tell there was no venom behind it this time. Dean grinned at the sound. It was odd considering the deep resentment and hate Dean had harboured for Seth for so long. Maybe the sound reminded him of that one night in the park.

“I’d say persistent rather than charming”

Dean shoved Roman’s knife into the pocket of his pants. He’d take persistent. Seth didn’t have to like him.


	12. Hometown

“Fucking fuck shite bastarding dickhead” Finn spat as he finally managed to get the putty to attach to the door the way he wanted it to. The driving rain had made the situation worse as Finn just couldn’t get his hands to stop shaking in the cold. He’d also told the other guys to not touch him unless they wanted to end up blown to bits. That didn’t seem like an exciting prospect so they all just stood and watched the demon at work. Seth and Roman huddled together, trying to keep dry under a tiny overhang while Dean stood in the rain, looking on with wide eyes. Finally, Finn stepped back with a triumphant grin “Don’t fecking… have to deal with this shite… should have brought… an umbrella, why do we never bring an umbrella?”

“Logistics?” Roman suggested dryly. Finn rolled his eyes and pushed them back slightly into the back alley before detonating the little explosive pack. It went off with a single quiet pop and the door swung open.

Dean hopped up and down excitedly. He was soaked to the skin but he didn’t entirely mind it. He was trying to get rid of the nervous energy that was buzzing its way through his blood. 

Becky’s voice static burst into his ear.

“I want Dean, then Seth, Finn, Roman take up the rear, over”

“Copy” Roman said lowly. Dean tugged up his hood so he had something to do with his hands while he peered into the dark doorway before slowly stepping in. He was the only one with any memory of the squat building that laid out before him.

When Dean went into a job, sometimes the world around him gave way until it was just him, corridors and the dark extending in front of him. Dean had learned to like being alone when he was just a child and the infinite stretch of concrete had to, at least for the moment, mean more to him than any of the people behind him.

Seth’s soft breaths seemed to melt into background noise as he crept forward, guided by pure muscle memory alone. He’d been there once before, just when DIY was getting off the ground. Nikki, in all her infinite wisdom, had made him memorise floor plans just in case anything went wrong. It was probably overkill, but now it seemed more like fate.  
Dean stretched out a hand to trail along the wall and was slightly taken aback when it came back wet. He stopped suddenly and Seth and Finn nearly fell over him.

“Light” Dean mumbled as he brought his hand to his face before turning to face the rest behind him. Roman fiddled with his pockets for a moment before shining a torch on the men in front of him “Fuck”

Dean held out dark red finger-tips to the group, shining with a sickening ruby glimmer. Blood. Roman shone the torch on the wall. Blood smeared down the wall like someone had been slammed against the brick and held there while they bled.

He reached his non-blood-covered hand to his earpiece, pressing once to send a message to everyone in the group.

“We have blood, over”

His voice sounded detached and far away as it buzzed in everyone’s ears around him. He reached down to wipe his hand clean on his pants, grimacing. Finn was examining the blood with an intense gaze, trying to work out from context clues what had happened. Seth had his gun out, trained steadily down the corridor in front of them, his eyes daring the darkness to reveal someone that he could blame.

“Keep moving, lads, over” Becky responded in an oddly clipped voice. 

“Still canny get access tae the main security feed, can see yous” Nikki added. She was back at base trying to get into the cameras. Some smartass had locked her out of the main room’s security and she was struggling to break into it “Fucking dark though, over”

Dean stifled an inappropriate laugh. Nikki really had the ability to bring light to the darkest situations. Literally, he thought, as the camera above them twitched and a soft yellow light illuminated the room as if Nikki was saying hello. Roman flicked his torch off and clipped it back to wherever he’d gotten it from.

“Let’s go”

They forged through the corridors. The security cameras flicking to life as they passed under them, Nikki giving her little bit of comfort to the men as they made their way through the darkness. Dean stopped. This time Seth and Finn didn’t walk into his back.

Dean held up a hand, holding the group back from storming the room. He pressed his ear against the crack in the door. He closed his eyes and listened.

“Where are they, Flair?” A woman’s voice that Dean couldn’t place. Probably one of DIY’s mercenaries. Dean tried not to think about it too much.

“Oh for the last time, why do you think that I’d tell you that, Lerae?” Charlotte asked. Her voice was muffled but she sounded tired. A sickening crack rung out even from behind the door. Dean flinched but there was no immediate reaction from either voice.

“What are you doing?” The woman, Lerae asked.

“Candice, I’m not playing this fucking game with you and your husband, none of this is your business” Charlotte spat. Crack again. Charlotte began to laugh “Oh come on, Candice you can’t believe that anything they’re doing is right-“

“Don’t start this again, Charlotte” There was no sickening thud this time to punctuate the line. Dean held his breath.

“Candice, you know Johnny is doing the wrong thing, It’s all Ciampa, it’s always been all him. You’re not going to come out of this unscathed”

There was a pause before Lerae asked in a quiet voice “What do you know?”

“You know that as soon as Ciampa has control, he’s going to stab Johnny in the back, probably literally and I don’t want to see either of you hurt”

Crack.

“Don’t lie to me, Flair”

“I wouldn’t dare, Candice, not when it’s your life that’s at stake! I wouldn’t put you on the line, I wouldn’t put Johnny on the line, I know you’re good people!”

“Charlotte you don’t understand, you don’t get it!”

“I thought you would understand, Candice, I really did think that you would get that what he’s doing to your man is the opposite of good”

No sound followed and Dean could audibly hear the sigh of relief Charlotte let out.

“I can’t let you go, Charlotte”

“I know, but what If there was another way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Becky… collects us and then we convince Johnny”

“How on earth would Lynch-“

Dean had heard more than enough. He stepped back and signalled for Finn. The demon stepped forward, cracked his knuckles and set the charge. Roman and Seth raised their guns, trained at the door. Finn stepped back and whispered a soft countdown. Dean flattened himself against the wall. The same little bang and puff of smoke and Finn kicked the door open.

Seth and Roman stormed past Finn and Dean who pressed themselves against the walls to let them past.

“Drop the weapon” Roman’s voice boomed. There was a clatter followed by a loud string of curses and a slight scuffle.

“Roman, Seth, stand down” Charlotte’s voice flew above the noise as an order. Finn and Dean exchanged looks and slowly walked into the room, hands on their weapons.

Charlotte was tied to a chair in the centre of the room, her hair thrown out at odd angles and her face bruised and battered. She still looked fully in control of the situation. The only other person was a short woman with mid-length blonde hair. It took Dean a second to recognise her. Candice Lerae, Johnny Gargano’s wife who usually looked at him from a picture on Johnny’s desk, stared them down. Roman and Seth still had their guns trained on her, refusing to break line of sight. 

“Come cut me out before anyone does something stupid, please” Charlotte cocked her head in Dean’s direction. He rushed to her, fumbling with the knife at his waist before slicing through the ropes. They were surprisingly difficult to cut through and Dean resorted to sawing through them until they were in a heap at Charlotte’s feet. She went to stand and Finn had to rush to offer her an arm to lean on. She muttered a quick thanks and nodded to Dean with a hint of a smile.

“What now? Is this when you kill me?” Candice asked. Her voice was high and nervous, probably due to Roman and Seth who looked venomous as they kept her guns trained on her. 

“Reigns, Rollins, I said stand down, now!” Charlotte barked and the two finally fell back, their weapons lowering slowly. Charlotte let go of Finn and took a slow step forward. She was far steadier on her feet now “Candice, you’re not an evil person, just… come with us”

“I can’t leave him with Tommaso, Charlotte, you wouldn’t leave Becky in the hands of someone as awful as he can be”

“Johnny’s done horrible things, Candice, please… help us fix that”

The two women watched each other with steady gazes that refused to waiver, paying no attention to the men who looked on in deafening silence.

“Fine, I’ll go, as long as you can promise me that I can help"

“Finn, can you relay to Becky that we have Candice Lerae, please?”

The Irishman nodded, and the earpiece in Dean’s ear buzzed with the information relay. His hand went to his ear and he tugged the earpiece out, tucking it into his pocket. He didn’t need to hear from Becky to know what she was thinking. He knew she’d be on the same wavelength as he was. Lerae was a far more powerful element of DIY’s operation than anyone gave her credit for and apparently, Johnny usually listened to her. 

Dean pulled his hood down, running a hand through the messy curls as he looked around the room. He turned his attention to Charlotte hoping that he would be able to help out but Roman was already dabbing at an oozing cut on her brow with a wipe. There was no point getting in the way. He glanced at Finn who was securing the room and marking 'X's on the wall in chalk at certain points.

“Gonna clean Char up and go, everyone got that?” Seth called. Dean frowned and looked away from Finn’s handiwork to where Seth was guarding Candice. Seth touched his earpiece with a faint smile, raising his eyebrows. Dean hadn’t realised that anyone had noticed him tug out the device and he didn’t think anyone would have cared to relay the information to him anyway. He nodded and walked to join Seth and Candice.

Candice nodded stiffly to Dean as he approached.

“I know you” She stated, looking Dean up and down. Dean scratched the back of his neck “You’re that thief that Johnny was so insistent on hiring again and again… Am… Ambrose was it?”

“That’s me” He caught the curls at the back of his head with his fingers, rolling a lock of hair between his fingers. The woman narrowed her eyes.

“You shut them down didn’t you?”

“Sure did”

“Clever, Ciampa was… not amused, though Johnny thought it was nothing short of inventive” She folded her arms “They thought they had you”

“Nobody has me” Dean narrowed his eyes “Just ‘cause I’m on someone’s payroll doesn’t mean I belong to them”

Seth stepped towards Dean, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Candice simply smiled.

“Yeah, brave, wish some people had the same outlook”

“Johnny?” Seth asked. The woman simply nodded.

“It sucks, really, I liked Johnny” Dean shrugged “He was always been nice to me and Nikki, I always thought that he-“.

He was about to reply when he was cut off by the sound of loud shouting and doors being kicked open. Seth and Dean’s eyes met as Dean’s tugged up his hood. It was a loaded look. He was daring Dean to run. Dean shut his eyes and reached for his knife. He wasn’t going to run this time. He carefully pushed his earpiece back in, opening his eyes and meeting Seth’s gaze. Becky’s voice, mid-sentence, curled its way through his brain.

“-have it covered, we’ll meet you out back, good luck”

*

Charlotte refused to sit in the middle of the pack. She led them out to the back, a borrowed gun from Roman held stiffly at her waist. There was shouting behind them, in the direction of the main entrance and despite desperate reassurances that she was with them, Candice kept casting looks back over her shoulder. Dean and Seth took up the back, walking backwards with their eyes trained on the corridors. Finn had handed Dean a gun and Dean wasn’t entirely convinced that he could fire it if he had to. 

He heard the door open behind him and the evening light spill into the corridor just as the door at the end burst open. Seth swore and turned, grabbing Dean’s wrist and pulling him out into the back alley. Dean caught the door with the edges of his fingertips and slammed it shut to buy them a little time

Roman had Candice, Charlotte and Finn, pushing them into the SUV before throwing himself in. Dean was just about to adjust his course for the door when Seth touched his earpiece.

“Lynch, leave us, we’ll trail them away”

A gun fired behind them and Seth pressed his bodyweight against Dean’s to the left. They ducked behind a dumpster as the SUV roared past them. The two men held their breaths for a second.

“How many?” Dean asked quietly.

“5, I think Gargano is one of them”

“When the door opens we run” Dean could see the map of the city in his head. He knew exactly how he could lose them.

“When the door opens?”

“Trust me?”

Seth tilted his head to look at Dean, the soaked flyaways of hair plastered against his forehead.

“I trust you”

The door was kicked open and Dean pushed himself off the wall. Seth was a second behind and Dean didn’t give him time to catch up. He ran full pelt out onto the street. The sound of shots rang out but he knew just from the footsteps that Seth was with him. He felt a hand brush his wrist and he took the opportunity to grab Seth’s hand and pull him diagonally across the road.

The scream of sirens urged him to move faster, dragging Seth down the next street and into a rough residential area. Dean cast a look behind him, staring at the blue lights as they screamed past the street. He didn’t enjoy leaving anything up to the cops, god knows that they were all in Hunter’s pocket, but he knew when to drop something. They were only a few streets out from where Dean had grown up. 

“Left here” He hissed through gritted teeth. Seth nodded and took the sharp left Dean indicated. Dean could feel his chest starting to burn a little but he continued to forge onwards. The streets turned into a horribly familiar grey mass as his feet found old paths through the concrete jungle.

His feet knew where they were heading before he did. The bottom floor’s fire escape in his old building was still busted. He slammed his arm against it and it swung open, nearly taking out a woman who was just about to exit. He muttered an apology and began scampering up the cold stone steps.

“Dean? Where are we going?”

“Roof, move”

Nothing had changed since he visited his mom last. The whole building still stunk of damp and nobody had cleaned the stairwells for years at least. Dean felt the creeping sting of embarrassment as he navigated around a pile of trash on the 5th floor. He had completely forgotten what it was like to bring someone somewhere like that.

Seth was a few steps behind him, staring around as Dean hit the final floor before the stairs up to the roof. He stopped at the top and looked at the door. He could picture himself aged 10 staring at the door for another night spent on the roof staring up at the stars. It was better than inside his apartment sometimes. 

“You gonna open that?” Seth asked from behind him. Dean chuckled and pushed open the door to reveal the worst-best view in the city.

*  
The whole city spanned out in front of him. He traced a memorised pattern to the edge of the roof and sat down, his legs under the safety rail. Seth joined him, echoing Dean’s body positioning. They sat in silence, Dean staring at the endless grey like there was nothing in the world he’d rather do than be there in the deep blue night, and Seth watching him. Dean’s eyes fell on street below him with its little ant sized people below them. They came and went, smoking, drinking and doing god knows what as they buzzed in and out of the building. It was the city Dean had known and loved for his whole life. Neither could bear to break the silence. Until Seth did.

“So, you know this place?”

“Grew up here” Dean responded bluntly.

“It’s… nice”

“Jesus, don’t lie, I have eyes” Dean muttered with a small humourless laugh. Seth shrugged and dug his fingers into the concrete “My mom’s still on the third floor with her asshole of a new boyfriend, she told me not to come back until I could apologise for breaking his nose when he called me… doesn’t matter, point is, it’s shitty”

It’d been a year. As far as he knew, the two were still together, and it was oddly freeing to think about how little he cared now as an adult. Dean had always tried to like her endless string of boyfriends and fiancés when he was a kid, even doing the whole ‘dad’ thing when the guy made him. He wanted to make his mom happy. To a point. He was sick of it all, the faux pageantry of trying to be a happy little family. It didn’t matter anymore. He was an adult and happy little families weren’t all they’d cracked up to be.

Abandonment issues, Regal had said, would be the death of him when they caught up. Perhaps he was right. Maybe that was why Dean was still so rooted to the shitty little apartment block where he knew his mom would be.

“That sucks man,” Seth leant his arms on the metal of the rail “I don’t know what it would have been like”

“Guessing you were the perfect little poster family?”

“Something like that, my parents always pushed me to be the best at everything, not that that’s a bad thing” Seth looked over at Dean with a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes “You know that Hunter straight up lied to my dad? Yeah, he told him it was a business internship and after I… well, you can’t call your dad and tell him you’re having great fun with his friend Hunter killing people”

“Christ” Dean muttered. Seth looked away from him and back over the dark concrete sea in front of them.

“It’s still a massive secret, you know? I saw them at Christmas, Roman came with me and we just had to… pretend we were businessmen

“I always assumed it’d make family gatherings awkward, I mean “Mom, let me tell you about this guy’s throat I slit” doesn’t really set the tone for a sit-down meal”

Regal didn’t really do ‘family’ get-togethers or celebrations. He did Christmas and Dean’s birthday and it was never the Hallmark greetings card Dean had been spoon-fed by TV. Regal liked it quiet and understated. A small dinner together at Christmas and letting Dean pick takeout on his birthday. Presents were small, practical things. Dean had never got Regal a card in his life.

Seth pulled his legs up from the side of the building and crossed them, leaning back on his arms. 

“It’s easier for Roman and Finn, their families know” Seth sighed, tilting his head up to the sky. Dean watched as his eyes flickered closed “Like… if I died, they couldn’t know why”

“At least you have a family that would care” Dean muttered, more to himself than Seth. The other man opened his eyes and turned towards him. Seth reached across the roof between them to touch his wrist with a feather-light touch and Dean had to fight the urge to retract into himself.

“I would care,” Seth said, his voice barely daring to speak above a whisper. 

“No, you’d feel guilty, there’s a difference” Dean finally broke from Seth’s grip and pushed himself back to stand up. Seth moved with him, stepping up to him with a scowl.

“What the fuck is that meant to mean?”

“It means that you’ve never cared about anyone in your life, Rollins, you just use them to get what you want and then feel all guilty about it later because you can’t use them again to get what you want!” Dean hissed “If they all knew who you were-“

Seth punched Dean straight in the face.

“Don’t ever fucking talk about me like that”

Dean staggered back, clutching at his nose with a growl. The copper taste of blood flooded his mouth as he stared down Seth. He was about to launch himself at the man when he noticed the sheer amount of tension in Seth’s shoulders that suddenly dropped.

“You never learned to stop poking at bruises, Dean” Seth took a step back from Dean “I’m not faking who I am anymore, I’ve never lied to Finn and I’ve especially never lied to Roman… people can love you for all of your flaws even if you did things that were wrong”

Sometimes it was better to just get punched in the face than start a losing argument. He tugged his bulletproof vest off with one arm and sat down with his back against the fire door. He yanked his hoodie off to press the material against his nose firmly. He looked up at Seth with a deep scowl. He couldn’t admit aloud that he was right. Seth certainly knew he was.

“You seriously can’t think that I’m the same guy I was” Seth paced back and forward on the roof in front of him. When Dean didn’t answer, Seth fixed him with a stare “I wouldn’t be here with you if I was, I would have let you go!”

Dean put a hand up to his nose to check if it was still bleeding. His hand came away dry but the stuffy, sticky sensation in his nose was driving him mad. He wrinkled his nose, feeling a sharp pain shooting across the bridge of his nose.

“Are you even fucking listening?”

Yes. He was. But he was also shutting down, drowning, because he couldn’t get his mind to process the punch and the emotions still firing inside him from the job. He pressed his nails into his collarbone, forcing himself to breathe steadily through his mouth. 

“Earth to Dean?”

His nails were starting to bite out red half-moons. He squeezed his eyes tightly and tried to focus on just that and the burning at his collarbone but the sound of Seth getting to his knees in front of him was distracting. He felt Seth grab his hand and pull it back from his skin.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Dean managed to mumble out a “nothin’” and opened his eyes to look at Seth. It took a second for Seth’s worried face to slide into focus.

“Hey, come on man, I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have hit you, it was wrong, I’m sorry” He clutched at Dean’s hand, slowly extracting the nails from the skin. Dean opened his mouth to speak but he couldn’t quite get the words to come together “God, call me an idiot or something, please? Something, come on Dean”

“Just… be quiet” Dean managed out through gritted teeth. Seth sighed and leaned forward to brush the hair from his face, pressing the springy curls back gently before moving to check Dean’s nose.

“I’m not gonna be quiet, so you’ll just have to put up with me,” Seth said with a laugh as he traced his fingers over the soft bump at the tip of Dean’s nose “Tell me if anything hurts”

Dean nodded and let the man poke and prod at his nose. He was sure it wasn’t broken, it was just a painful throbbing sensation in the centre of his face. Seth was surprisingly gentle considering the harm he had just caused and Dean nearly went cross-eyed as he watched his hands on his skin.

“I am sorry, Dean” Seth reassured Dean as he went, settling back on his knees.

“s’fine” He replied quietly. Seth smiled slightly

“I should call in, huh?”

“Don’t tell them I let you get a punch in”

Seth tapped his earpiece, stifling a laugh as he contacted the rest of their group “Rollins here, requesting an extraction for myself and Ambrose, over”

Nikki answered with a cheery “Roman’s already on his way! Oh! An’ just so you know, Seth, ah’ve already planned on how I’m going to break your hand intae 6 different pieces! Over an oot!”

Seth chuckled nervously and looked at Dean.

“She’s not really serious, right?”

“Oh no, she’s not really serious,” Dean said, shaking his head “She’s deadly serious”


	13. As It Was

Dean felt odd, but not in the awful, crippling, anxious way that one of his episodes usually left him. He couldn’t pinpoint exactly what the feeling was. Maybe he was just ill or maybe Seth’s punch had knocked something about internally and he was actually really ill.

Being ill would probably explain why he found Seth’s presence on the roof with him so comforting. 

They both settled back next to each other on the wall, shifting closer to each other as the early evening brought in a bitter wind. Dean ended up pulling both his hoodie and bulletproof vest on to stave off the chill. Dean leant against Seth slightly while he played about with the knife Roman had given him. Seth had immediately tensed when he saw the knife.

“That’s Roman’s knife” He stated, a note of suspicion peeking into his voice. 

“Yeah, I know, Roman gave me it” Dean answered and spun it through his fingers in a tight weaving pattern “I needed a knife to play with”

“That’s a little terrifying”

“I do love some danger” 

“Can I see?” Seth asked, shifting to hold his hand out. Dean nodded and passed it to him carefully. He watched like a hawk as Seth turned it over in his hands reverently. He flicked the knife out and studied the carving with a small smile “Odd name choice for a knife, but I’m not gonna judge”

“Yeah, but in all fairness, you think the name Tyler is a cool undercover name” Dean couldn’t help the smirk that crossed his features. Seth nudged him in the side with his elbow.

“Says Mox!” Seth cut back with a chuckle. Dean stuck his tongue out and pushed Seth slightly.

“In my defence, I was feeling really rough at the time”

“I could tell when you puked on my shoes, really an experience I don’t want to repeat again” Seth pulled a face and handed the knife back to Dean who pocketed it. Dean shifted from leaning on Seth to leaning back against the wall. 

They’d made progress, he thought, as he curled up on himself to keep warm. They had Candice on their side and therefore the key to the downfall of DIY. While Ciampa was the domineering force, Johnny was the lynchpin that prevented the operation from tipping into chaos. Johnny would do anything for Candice.

The whole thing was a reminder for Dean of how powerful Charlotte Flair was. He was almost certain that they didn’t need to rescue her. It helped, no doubt, that they went in with a full team but Charlotte had got out of worse scrapes on their own. 

“ETA Reigns, 5 minutes” Nikki noted over his earpiece “Jist a suggestion but you should probably go meet him doon at the gas station”  
Dean sat up straight, stretching the tension out of his back.

“Always on the run” He muttered as he fixed his hoodie before scrambling to his feet.

Seth got to his feet quickly, tying his hair back out of his face. Dean pulled his hood and glanced around the roof. He was heading straight towards the fire escape down the side of the building when something caught his attention. Below, he could see a car with a man leaning on the hood. It wasn’t an entirely odd sight to see, even late at night, but the person stuck out like a sore thumb when he knew who he was looking for.

Sami Callihan.

“Cross, tell me you see this” Dean pressed his earpiece. No answer. He turned to Seth with a grimace “We’re fucked”

“What do you mean? What’s up with Nikki” Seth joined him by the fire escape, peering over the edge of the building “Ah, I see what you mean”

Dean kept his eyes fixed on the person below him. A million questions circled his brain. Was Sami working with DIY? Was this a trap? And if it wasn’t, why was Sami Callihan hanging out in front of his old building?

“Deano, ye need tae go doon” Nikki notes in his ear “He’s waitin’ on you”

“Nikki, what do you mean?” Seth asked. There was a pause.

“I know things” Nikki answered confidently. There was voices in the background and Dean heard her swear “If you don’t want to know, just go meet Roman”

“Nikki have you-“ Dean started. His ability to speak back was cut off immediately by Nikki so she could explain.

“Took Becks and the rest aff the frequency? Aye, jist until you decide”

Seth placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder, joining him to stare down at the top of Sami Callihan’s head. Dean was struck by the urge to shake him off and go straight to Sami. Nikki Cross had never once in her life done something to hurt Dean. He had to trust her.

He stepped onto the metal staircase. Seth grabbed his wrist.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“I’d walk through fire for Nikki fucking Cross, I will trust her to my last breath, and you need to trust me” Dean was careful to enunciate, attempting to put all the heart he could into every word. Seth let go slowly.

“I’m coming with you”

Dean stared at Seth. The same Seth who’d abandoned him to Hunter’s worst, who thought he was useless and dangerous. The same Seth who’d kissed his cheek and faked being his husband to get him out of trouble. 

“Fine, but just… let me handle him, okay?”

“I’m your backup, Deano, you give the word and I’ll do what you need me to” 

This was the same Seth who’d punched him so hard he saw stars.

But now… Now, he trusted him.

Dean smiled and turned. 

“Let’s go, backup”

*

The metal fire escape creaked under their feet as they made their way down. It reminded Dean of the night he’d hung off of it and the drainpipe. Some things never changed. He tried not to think too hard about the people in the building who were still the same. People like his mom, the old woman on the first floor, the family of 5 who lived in a one-room apartment. The people who were his people.

Stuck.

He could have been just like them.

They reached the bottom and turned to face Callihan who was still leaning on his car. The smile on his face made Dean’s stomach turn.

“Dean, good to see you! You’re looking a bit… yeah” He motioned to Dean’s nose with an overdramatic wince before continuing “Your little friend… Nikki is it? She was really sweet letting me know where you were” 

Dean gritted his teeth.

“Sami, cut the crap”

“Ouch, Dean! That hurt, I can’t believe you’d ever treat an old friend like that!” The man gave a fake gasp, clapping a hand over his heart as if Dean’s words had any real sting to them. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

“We’re not friends, Callihan”

“I really meant nothing to you?” He was laying it on thick. He gave Seth a disbelieving look “Can you believe this shit, Mr Black? If of course that's your real name”

Seth exhaled out through his nose. His face was a picture of utter confusion as he looked between Dean and Sami.

“Sami, I don’t want to play games with you, why did you contact my partner?”

The shorter man ran his tongue along his top lip with a wide smile like he was enjoying Dean’s discomfort. He took a step towards Seth and Dean and held out his hand. A USB drive sat in the centre of his palm.

“Look what I got a hold of, honestly, you wouldn’t believe the information that Hunter leaves lying around” He grinned with a hint of pride. Dean reached for it and he snatched it back with a chuckle “oh no, no, no, you don’t get it that easy, Deano, you have no idea how much trouble I went through to get this and then find your little friend Nikki so you could have it”

“If you were that desperate to find me, you’d hand it over”

“Oh, Deano, darling, love of my life, you know that I don’t like to lose out on things and your friend's little stunt was really… quite traumatic and I’m just trying to find my way like everyone else”

“Do you have an evolutionary ingrained instinct to spew bullshit, Callihan?” Seth asked. Dean couldn’t help the small smile that crossed his features “Because let’s be honest, nothing we did was even close to traumatic”

Sami chuckled and stepped towards them, his eyes narrowing as he studied Seth.

“Is someone bitter that he got stabbed?”

“It wasn’t so much a stab as a scratch, don’t flatter yourself”

“Woulda been worse if your boyfriends hadn’t fucking tackled me”

Seth took a step forward and pulled himself up to tower over Callihan. Dean grabbed the back of Seth’s pants, threading a finger through the belt loops to pull him backwards. There was only a 50/50 chance that Seth would make it out of a fight with Sami Callihan alive. Like Dean, the man would claw and scratch until his last breath. It wasn’t worth the damage.

“I asked you to not get involved,” He said quietly. For a minute, it looked like Seth was going to argue before he relaxed. Dean kept a hold of him for an extra moment before letting go. Sami watched this exchange with utter glee.

“I thought you had better taste in men, Dean, really, I mean I am… at least a 9/10, that emo looking motherfucker’s a 6 on a good day and he doesn’t have a lot of good days”

“Callihan, can we just get this over with” Dean sighed. He was in danger of just leaving without getting what he came for “What’s on the drive for a start, then we can work out what we can offer you”

Sami smirked.

“Well then, if you’re that impatient that you can’t even talk to your best friend in the whole wide world, I’ll spill” He moved back so he could lean on his car again. He still had the USB clutched in his hand “See, I thought it would be useless, but then I gave it a look! I imagined it would be all sorts of sordid stuff, you know, he seems like he’s into that kind of thing, but no! Turns out, he’s been looking for your darling daddy for the last 6 months!”

“I don’t-“

“Regal, Dean, one Mr William Regal!” He chirped excitedly “Hunter is –this- close to figuring out where your thieving bastard of an adoptive father is and slitting his fucking throat! Kind of delightful! Can you imagine how… good that would feel to finally take out the only real threat to your empire?”

“You’re sick, Sami” Dean muttered.

“Oh, just as sick and twisted as you are, babe!” Sami stuck out his tongue “Now, I could… give this back to Hunter, have him go get your man and kill him or whatever he deems fit to do, or I could make it all go away by burning it, or… I could do the good thing give it to my best friend and then he can take good care of it!”

Sami’s emphasis on the word good made Dean’s skin crawl. Sami was sharp as a knife. He knew what William Regal had meant to Dean and what the revelation of information like that could do the Dean. The auburn haired man could feel himself turning paler and paler as Callihan had went on.

“What’s your price?” Seth asked for him.

“Oh, price, price, price” Sami tapped his chin in mock contemplation “What would I be willing to take for the lives I would save? He has some… Shawn stuff on here too, if you’re interested that is”

“We can do 15 thousand”

Sami’s eyes widened slightly and so did his smirk.

“15 thousand? Doesn’t seem right to accept money for such a good deed, maybe I need a little… something-something on top to sweeten the deal?”

“If you have an idea of what you want, name it” Dean’s voice was hoarse.

“Well then, I suppose that… when the time comes and you’re working through all your… weird daddy issues by transferring them onto Hunter and you all finally conquer the evil or whatever the shit you’re doing, I want… immunity”

“Immunity?”

“I have done some… things for people in very high places and I don’t really want to be hurt in all the fall out that’s going to come after this” Sami explained “But I’m guessing that you and your little posse are going to have a little sway, so I want some leeway”

“Coward’s move, Sami, face up to your mistakes” Dean watched his old friend’s face flick from a smirk to a sneer.

“Oh? Coward? That’s rich coming from Dean ‘I ran away to live with my adopted daddy’ Ambrose”

“Oh go fuck yourself, Sami, you know I didn’t run away from shit” Dean growled lowly “I didn’t have a goddamn choice in the matter”

“You run from everything Dean, that’s why you became a thief, right? So you could hide in the shadows and run away from everything you love”

“Love? You think I wouldn’t have done anything for you? I got shoved in the dirt and bled for you, man, and you just left me there, Sami, so no, I didn’t run away from something I loved, okay?” Dean could feel his hands balling into fists as he stepped towards Sami. Everything about him was faked confidence and Dean could tell that he was starting to get under his skin “Just give me the USB and go”

“You know what? You can have your fuckin’ USB, I don’t even want it, and I don’t care if I don’t get protection anymore! This whole thing is bullshit, Dean, this whole fucking thing has always been bullshit!” Callihan spat back. He tossed the USB at the ground and Dean winced, hoping it wouldn’t be damaged when he went to grab it. Sami straightened up and opened the door to his car “I’m getting out of here before Hunter finds me and has me killed, don’t come looking for me when this all goes to shit”

He threw himself into the car, slamming the door shut. Sami stared at Dean for a moment before pulling away. Dean kept his eyes on his old friend as he pulled away. Seth gently placed a hand on Dean’s back, his thumb stroking up and down. 

Dean reached up to tap his earpiece.

“Got what we needed, Niks, over”

“Roman’s at the extraction point now… Am sorry, over”

“Gotcha, no need to say sorry, thank you sweetheart”

He dropped his hand from his ear and let Seth hook his arm around his waist.

“You okay?” Seth asked quietly, pulling him closer to him.

“Not really, but I will be” Dean answered. He flicked his eyes from the distance to the drive on the ground. He shook off Seth’s arm and stooped to pick it up “Nikki must think he’s telling the truth about what’s on this drive, otherwise she would have ignored him”

“Has Nikki ever been wrong about someone?”

Dean looked up at Seth as his hand closed around the drive, swallowing.

“Oh, yeah”

Nikki was very wrong about Dean. She always said he could handle anything. He couldn't handle this. Not on his own.

*

The guy beside him in the bed groans and throws his arm over Dean’s stomach in his sleep. Dean rolls his eyes and shifts it off of him for the 3rd time that morning. He’s waiting on him waking up so he can get him out of his apartment and get the place cleaned up in time for the hacker he’s expecting.

He hadn’t meant to hook up with some random guy last night, in fact, he was pretty sure he’d promised himself that he wasn’t going to go out at all, but here he was at 11am still in bed with the guy. He squints at his phone as he attempts to fill in a line on Tetris. It’s the only game he has downloaded on his phone and he doesn’t even really get how to play it, but it’s keeping him busy while he waits.

Its 5 minutes later when the guy finally opens his eyes with a yawn. Dean can’t even remember his name, which is probably a testament to how fucked up he was the night before. Dean usually remembered people’s names.

“Good morning,” The guy says with a sleepy smile, stretching out. He’s handsome and exactly Dean’s type. He’s a little rugged, with long dark brown wavy hair and a beard to match. Judging by the several scarves strewn around the room, he’s the type of guy who Dean would probably peg as an indie guy. He can vaguely recall the guy up on stage playing a guitar last night which means his name must be on the flyer Dean shoved into his pocket. He’d look later probably but now wasn’t the time.

“Hey, hate to be rude, but I need you to get out,” Dean says, motioning towards the bedroom door. The guy raises his eyebrows with a small questioning smile.

“Your boyfriend coming home?” He asks, his voice rough “I’m sure we can work something out if that’s the case”

“You can turn off the charm, I actually have work” Dean grumbles lowly. What he wouldn’t give to hang out with Mr Indie Handsome for the rest of the day.

But he had… TwistedXSister to think about. She was some hacker who’d contacted him about a job. There was a good chance she was just some weirdo, but he’s over trying to handle jobs on his own, especially when he can’t use computers to save his life. He could put a USB in and download whatever he needed, but the rest was endlessly confusing to Dean. 

“If I had the charm on, I think I would have caught you for round 4 already” The man chuckles and pulls Dean down for a kiss. It’s short, they both still taste of alcohol but that’s not why it’s short. His apartment’s buzzer shrieks at him from the living room.

“That,” Dean sighs as they break apart “Is work”

“Fine, fine, I got the memo” The man replies with a laugh. They both crawl out of bed and Dean pulls on his discarded underwear and a spare shirt. He’s halfway into the living room to answer his buzzer when the guy pipes up with a “Can I give you my number?”

“Scribble it down!” Dean calls back. It’s a common curtesy. He’s not going to call, it’d end up getting messy and dangerous for the other man. Dean prefers being alone anyway. If he ever met the guy again… well, then he’d cross that bridge when he came to it. He presses the call back button “Hello?”

“Ehm, are you Dean Ambrose? Am here fer the... uh... job?” Her accent is broad Scottish and she sounds pretty young. Maybe 22? 23? Dean wouldn't be surprised if she was younger, 18 or 19.

“Yep! Come on in, I’m the third door to your left!” He taps the button to let her in and hurries to the door. He can still hear his hook-up in his bedroom, trying to get dressed. If that phased the woman, it would probably be enough grounds to call off the job. He hurried to the door to yank it open before she could knock.

His hacker stood at about 5’2” with a mess of brown hair shrouding her face. She has a manic grin and bright eyes. She looks like she’s absolutely insane. Dean can already feel himself taking a shine to her as she offers out a hand.

“Nikki Cross!” She grins enthusiastically, wringing Dean’s hand as she stares up at him “Pleased to meet you, I brought donuts!”

She nearly pulls Dean’s arm off with her eagerness but Dean’s more than amused with the young woman. When she finally lets go of his hand, he wrings them in front of him. She stoops to pick a box of donuts from where she’d placed them on the floor and offers them to Dean.

“It's, uh, great to meet you Nikki… Uh… want to come in?”

“Aye, please!” 

He steps out of the way and she bustles in. She’s full of energy as she bounces over to the coffee table and sets the donuts down gently. She sits down on the sofa without asking and flips the box open to take one out. Dean smiles to himself. Nikki seems to be comfort incarnate and he can almost physically feel happiness radiating from her. 

“I’ll be with you in a sec, Nikki I just need to take care of something”

“Can’t believe I’ve been demoted to just something” The man grumbles as he emerges, trying to pull his hair back into a manageable bun.

“He’s demoted you tae ‘something’ because he canny remember your name” Nikki states matter-of-factly as she turns to sit on her knees on the couch. She tilts her head to the side. The man fixes her with a confused stare before turning to Dean.

“She’s right” Dean says with a quiet laugh. The man’s confusion turns to laughter.

“My name’s Elias, not gonna hold you forgetting it against you though” He rifles through the pockets of his jacket to pull out a flyer for the previous night’s music event at the bar and passes it to Dean. There he is, his mystery man in all his glory emblazoned on the poster that proudly proclaims ‘Elias Samson’. Dean looks up just as Elias captures him for a kiss before he leaves with a “Call me?”

“Anytime”

Nikki oohs and ahhs from the sofa before launching into a rendition of ‘Dean and Elias sitting in a tree’ as the man leaves. Dean rolls his eyes and joins her on the sofa, reaching out for a donut.

“How did you know that I forgot his name?”

“Oh, easy, been watching you” She states. Dean makes an ‘oh’ sound and looks her over. She looks the opposite of threatening to him, but she’s clearly highly skilled. She notices his face and dissolves into laughter “Don’t act so surprised, ah had tae look and see what you were like an’ Eric said that ah should follow you”

“I mean, it’s as good a reason as any” Dean decides with a smile. Nikki’s right. It wasn’t that unusual to find out about the people that were going to be around you. 

“You’re no gonnae call him, are you?” She asks

“Nah, probably not” He takes a bite and closes his eyes as he chews. The donut is surprisingly good, the box is emblazoned with some logo of a place Dean’s never heard of in his life. He hears Nikki go for another and he opens his eyes “So, this job?”

“Right, so, here’s the thing, am kinda looking for mair of a partner” She starts, her donut inches away from her mouth as she begins talking “I heard some stuff about you, so I went looking and found you, but Killian says am getting over excited and he’s no convinced I can get ye to join up with me, but Alexander told him that I’m really persuasive when I need to be and Eric agreed, although…”

She’s buzzing with excitement as she chatters, her donut now abandoned on her lap. Dean’s entranced by her rapid hand gestures and her expressions which seem to give away everything and nothing at the same time. It’s getting too rapid for him to follow and he has to stop her.

“Nikki”

“Aye?”

“Do you breathe in between your sentences?”

“No often” She replies, laughing. She picks her donut back up to take a bite. She pauses again and turns to him with a small smile. She looks like she has some odd wisdom to impart on him like a tiny wise sage “I think I like you, you make sense, Ah think you can handle anything, ah like that”

“I think I like you too Niks”

*

“Hey, you good?” Seth asked softly, crouching to check on Dean who seemed frozen in place with his hand on the USB drive. Dean nodded stiffly before standing. Nikki saw the best in him and he wasn’t entirely sure that any of it was true. Seth frowned but straightened up beside him anyway.

“We need to get going, Roman’s waiting”

“I know he is, but right now, I’m more concerned about you”

A blossom of warmth bloomed in his chest at Seth’s words. He ran a hand through his hair nervously. He didn’t hate the feeling, but he just couldn’t get to grips with it. Seth touched his shoulder, making him look up from the ground.

“I’m good, promise, let’s just go and get Roman”

Seth sighed and let go, resigned to let Dean get on with it. The two wound their way up the street to the gas station. Dean had forgotten how sharp and overpowering the streets smelled around his old home. It was one those scents you got used to the longer you lived there.

Thank god it smelt brand new now.

Roman’s hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly when Seth and Dean finally rocked up together. He seemed to relax slightly as the two approached. Dean slid into the backseat smoothly and Seth closed the door for him before climbing in the front. 

“Do I ask why Dean’s covered in blood?” Roman asked with a hint of worry colouring his voice.

“No” Seth advised before rifling through to find wipes. He threw the pack to Dean who dropped them in his lap.

“Don’t worry, there were no deaths!” Dean reported, almost cheerily, as he buckled himself in. Roman cracked a smile in the mirror, looking at the scruffy man who was already stripping off his bulletproof vest as he settled. Seth’s fingers found the radio and he flicked the dial until he found something he liked. He left it on a quieter volume, more for providing background noise while they drove than to block out any attempts at conversation.

Seth turned in his seat to watch Dean as he took the ammo from the gun Finn had given him and placed it gingerly in the backseat.   
“Good teambuilding exercise”

“You could say that” Dean murmured as he pulled a wipe from the packet to dab at the dry blood under his nose that was starting to cake unpleasantly “I mean, we didn’t try to murder each other… really”

“Becky said she’s happy with the outcome but we’ve got a debrief to do and then we can go home” Roman started the car and pulled out of the gas station “Do you guys have your earpieces in? I couldn’t get through to you guys”

Seth and Dean exchanged looks in the mirror.

“It was probably on your end, Nikki told us where you were” Dean replied immediately with a shrug. Seth’s eyes darted away quickly at the lie “She’ll probably get it fixed when we get back, knowing Niks it’s probably killing her”

Roman nodded and Dean let out an internal sigh of relief that he was buying it all. 

Dean curled into the backseat as they drove. Seth and Roman talked about some past job that Dean couldn’t really give any opinions on because he’d never heard of it, or if he had heard about it he just couldn’t remember it. His hand went to the knife, back to the repetitive flicking in and out as he stared out the window. The car drove towards the docks, the quiet of the night still and oppressive. Stagnant. And Dean just kept flicking. 

“Dean? You good back there, babe?” Roman asked, his voice cutting in through the trance Dean had found himself. Dean’s hand stilled and he had to shake himself slightly.

“Yeah, fine”

He saw the two In front share an unreadable look. He couldn’t understand what they were to each other. He couldn’t understand any of this. 

He didn’t have to.


	14. The Three Of us

If Dean had to name the people in his life who were safe, Becky Lynch would be one of the names at the top of the list. Her name would be right in line with Nikki’s and Charlotte’s. Lying to any of the girls, including Becky Lynch, was a task that he’d always took on carefully throughout his life. Lying he was okay, lying he wasn’t in danger and lying that he didn’t have a million thoughts running through his mind at one time. He’d done it all.

Lying for Nikki was a new one.

“Right lads, give me a run down!” She barked at the assembled group before her. Charlotte, Finn and Candice were missing. Lita and Trish were behind Becky, their arms folded as they looked over the small group. Becky didn’t look worried, so he assumed that Charlotte would be fine. Nikki made eye contact with Dean from across the room, pleading for him to cover for her. 

“Well, everything was going to plan, then we began an early extraction when DIY stormed the building, we met you outside and joined you in the car with both Charlotte Flair and Candice Lerae” Roman rattled off before looking at Seth to continue.

“Dean and I headed off together to confuse them and… took up a position to wait” Seth finished.

“Dean’s nose is busted” Lita noted with a frown “How did that happen if the extraction went as planned?”

“Tripped and face-planted on the stairs of the apartment building,” Seth said straight away, meeting the woman’s critical gaze.

Dean groaned a “Shut up”. He couldn’t work out what was worse, the fact that Seth punched him in the face and got away with it or the alternate lie that he fell and busted up his nose.

“Doesn’t look like that” Lita critiques with a raised brow. Dean groaned and pulled his hoodie up over his face. Lita was, of course, going to find out and then he’d never live it down “But considering Dean’s going bright red, that’s definitely what happened”

“Oh gee, thanks, mom” He grumbled. The woman smiled, suppressing a laugh. 

“Thanks, lads, you’re all free t’ go, Lita… Trish, thank you both” Becky turned to the women behind her as she dismissed them “I know…. I know that yer not fond of this kind of thing now, but thank you”

“It’s no problem, Becky, we… we had to do something” Trish replied, but her eyes went past Becky to Dean. Becky noticed, stepping out of the way so the two women could look at Dean. Trish took a few steps forward, reaching out towards him “How’s my boy?”

“Surviving, Ms Stratus” He responded. She pulled him into a hug, one of her hands curling in his hair. She held him there before letting go. She pulled back to cup his face with a warm smile “Good to see you again”

He could feel himself holding back tears. Lita and Trish were as good as… extra parents to Dean. Lita wrapped her arms around him, practically squeezing the life from him.  
“You, Dean, are every bit as… god you’re so grown up”

“I’m 27, Jesus please don’t-“

Trish pulled Becky over into a tight hug with Dean, squeezing them together so hard that Dean was sure they were going to merge into one person.

“You two are… we are so proud of you, Steve and William… god if they could see you now”

“Trish… they’re no dead, they could see us whenever they wanted” Becky groaned but it was half-hearted at best. The two women stepped back to look at them. It was like they were 16 again and at one of Flair’s parties being examined by the two all over. Behind them, Seth and Roman had moved out of the room with Nikki, leaving them in peace.

“You, Becky, you’re everything Steve would want to see in the world, so smart and brave” Lita touched her shoulder “If I wasn’t so sure you were Irish, I’d think you were his daughter sometimes”

Becky did remind him of Steve Austin sometimes. Dean had only met him once or twice, but he’d heard so much about him from Becky and Regal as he grew up through his teenage years. He did good, he did good recklessly and without fear. He never let Vince get in his way when he was coming up. Becky had that same instinct. She might have been born with some hint of talent, but Steve had helped shape her into the woman she was.

“And you… Mr Ambrose” Lita turned to him with a sigh, her smile faltering for just a moment as she looked over his bruised up face before coming back twice as wide “Regal… I know William would be so amazed by who you are now, Dean”

Dean had to hold in the knowledge that he knew that Regal was proud of him. They couldn’t know, no matter how much that he thought he could trust them both.

“Thank you” He answered quietly, looking down at the ground with a bashful smile. Someone outside the door called his name, ruining the moment “I better go take care of Nikki before she kills someone”

“Go, we’ll see you soon anyway” Trish smiled, giving him one last hug before pushing him towards the door. 

He was still fighting back the prickly teary feeling as he left the room. He'd forgotten how much Lita and Trish actually cared about them. He knew if Charlotte was there, they’d be holding her just as tightly. Sometimes he missed being a teenager. Things were so much easier when it was just the three of them messing about and getting into trouble. Lita and Trish had dragged Becky, Charlotte and Dean back to Ric’s house at 3am more times than he cared to remember. Sometimes it was better to think about those times than any of the other adventures where the trio never made it back to safety.

He was so in his head that he walked straight into Roman’s back.

“Shit, sorry, I…” He began before stopping. He followed Roman’s line of sight to where Nikki has Seth against the dirty floor as she held his arm behind his back. He didn’t look to be putting up much of a struggle, but his face was still contorted in discomfort “Jesus, what did Seth do this time?”

“I’m a, quote, arsehole, unquote” Seth grumbled from the ground.

“Yeah, we knew that, but what’d you do this time?”

“Fuck off”

Nikki twisted his arm and he let out a yelp. Dean moved to stop Nikki but Roman placed a hand in front of him.

“Roman! You can’t-“ He started, but Roman ‘shhed’ him.

“Nikki. That’s enough” Roman’s voice dropped low in a way that made Dean’s stomach twist. Nikki opened her mouth slowly as her head turned towards him. Seth tensed below Nikki, looking up at both Roman and Seth 

“Should… let me… do this” She grumbled lowly.

“Nikki” Roman tried again and she shut up immediately, frowning at him. She slowly let go of Seth and crawled off him “Thank you”

Nikki moped over to join them. She attached herself to Dean, her hand circling his wrist as she stared at Roman accusingly. Seth took a moment before rolling over and flipping himself up to his feet. He pushed his hair back from his face and walked over to Roman, tucking himself under his arm as he stared at Nikki. She bared her teeth at him in a mock threat.

“Nikki! Stop it!” Dean slid his arm out of her grasp.

“He-“

“Leave it, Nikki, I deserved it” Dean sighed. She stopped and looked at him like it was the first time that it had crossed her mind that Dean could have ever deserved to be punched.

“Don’t worry, It didn’t hurt”

“It looks sore” Nikki reached up to touch Dean’s face with a feather-light touch “Killian would be annoyed if he knew ah sat and let you get yer wee teeth kicked in”

“Well, we’ll just not tell him, huh?”

The woman smiled slightly and poked one of Dean’s dimples before dancing away towards the room where Becky, Trish and Lita still were. She poked her tongue out before darting behind the door with a shout “Becky’s gonnae gie me a ride back to Naomi’s!”

“We should go” Roman wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulders to match the one around Seth’s and guided them out to the door. They were almost at the car when Roman stopped, looking at each of the men in turn “I want the full story about tonight when we get home, you don’t need to tell Finn because he doesn’t know about any of this, but I don’t want either of you to lie to me”

Seth and Dean exchanged a look. They could lie, but why would they? Roman was safe.

Dean thought on that fact while they drove back to the house, leaning his head against the cool glass of the window. The night’s events played over the inside of his eyelids as he closed them, but one fact remained constant. Roman was safe.

*

Instead of taking up position on the couch, Roman steered them both upstairs. The fight was out of Dean and he just felt fatigued as he let Roman drag him upstairs. Judging by the quick look he threw in Seth’s direction, he felt the same. It was just gone 11pm but he felt like it was later. His joints were starting to protest with every step but he couldn’t find it in him to tell Roman that they could talk about it in the morning. He persisted though, Roman’s hands heavy on his shoulder as he led the two to his room.

“In, please, I’m going to grab some stuff, okay? Just get comfy on the bed for me, boys”

The pair nodded but Dean’s eyebrow twitched upwards at the statement. He was starting to notice the little things, the ‘babes’ and ‘baby boys’ that Roman dropped into conversations now and again, but it would be unfair of him to take them out of context. Besides, he was just trying to be caring. Dean could read into the ‘get comfy on the bed for me’ on his own, in his own room, alone, later.

Seth flopped down onto the bed, reaching for one of Roman’s pillows. He clutched it against his chest as he stared upwards at the roof. Dean watched him, taking in the almost endearingly messy hair and the softness of his face. The thing was, Dean liked Seth. Under all the tough, smartass exterior was a man who was a lot kinder than he could admit to himself.

“Think he’s gonna be mad?” Dean asked with a yawn as he kicked his boots off. He dropped down onto the bed, running a hand through his hair. Seth shook his head and shifted a little closer to Dean on the bed, daring to press their shoulders together “I don’t get why we couldn’t just do this tomorrow”

“Don’t sleep on an argument… or the products of a friendship formed by complex childhood traumas linked with the disappearance of your adopted parent” Seth muttered. Dean flicked his head towards him, struggling to understand what he meant. The man tossed the pillow into the air before catching it “You don’t trust easy, you don’t see change and that’s okay, it just means we all need to try a little harder for you sometimes, Sami doesn’t get to waltz into your life and think that one USB will let you trust him enough to provide him protection”

“He just did it to get under my skin”

Seth shook his head. He continued his rhythmical tossing of the pillow. Dean’s eyes fixed on it as he fought off tiredness that threatened to overwhelm him.

“Maybe it was an apology”

Dean rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore Seth’s suggestion. It was too much to consider the possibility that Sami could try to make things right under the years of resentment between them. He reached into his pocket to touch the USB. He’d need to get time alone with Nikki to do anything with the information in it, which was if it wasn’t all just a massive prank that Sami was setting up.

The pair sat in silence, listening to the muffled sounds of Roman moving up the staircase. The door opened and the man bustled in, his arms piled high with blankets and topped off with a box of something. He set them down on the edge of the bed and popped open the box.

“Shirt off and on your stomach, Seth, babe,” He said almost brightly. Dean was about to ask questions when Roman pulled a heat pack out of the box. Seth tugged his shirt off over his head and rolled over onto his stomach, propping his head up on his forearms. Dean had to drag his eyes away from the lines of the tattoo that followed the curve of Seth’s back. Roman leant over to press the heat pack against the shoulder that Nikki had pressed her knee against when he was holding him down “Good place?”

Seth nodded and Roman took his hands off the heat pack. 

“Now that the princess is taken care of, can I go?” Dean asked. Roman shook his head “Aw come on, Roman, we can do this tomorrow”

“We’re doing it now, come here” Roman’s voice dipped lower to the same tone he’d used with Nikki. Dean’s stomach had exactly the same reaction as before, twisting but not in an entirely unpleasant way. He edged towards Roman, careful to avoid Seth’s legs.

Roman placed a hand at the back of Dean’s head, his fingers curling in his hair to pull his head back. Dean bit back a million different swears, letting himself be manhandled. Roman Reigns had a certain way of making Dean feel weird. The man examined his nose before finally letting go.

“Tylenol” He advised, going back to rifle through his box before pulling out a box.

“I’m not taking them, it’s not even sore,” Dean said immediately. Dean avoided painkillers like the plague. In fact, he hadn’t had painkillers since he’d stumbled into Kevin and Sami’s apartment looking like he’d just risen from the dead after his meeting with Hunter’s personal torture service. He would have refused them if he hadn’t been in such wracking pain that Sami had convinced him to choke them down while stroking his hair. It was a matter of principle. Painkillers would make him tired. The dull throbbing would subside.

“Are you sure, babe?”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine”

Roman frowned slightly and dropped the Tylenol pack back into the box. He sealed the box back up and tossed a blanket to Dean.

“Get snuggled up, baby boy”

“I’m sorry?”

“We’re going to be here a hot minute, might as well get comfy” Seth mumbled against the sheets below him as Roman threw one of the blankets over him. Seth hummed as he found a comfier position, rolling onto his back and readjusting the heat pack.

Roman handed them both cereal bars with an expectant look on his face. 

“Jesus, If I wanted a mom I would have stayed with Trish” Dean grumbled but none the less, he tore open the packaging and took a bite. It was the first he’d eaten since before Becky had called, he’d gotten caught up in Charlotte before he could even remember to have something substantial. 

Roman let them eat in peace without starting an interrogation. Dean scarfed down the cereal bar like he was sure he’d never get a chance to eat again before wrapping himself up in the blanket. He swung it over his shoulders like a cape, tucking it around his crossed legs and drawing himself into a little cocoon. He wouldn’t admit it to Roman or, god forbid, Seth, but it was nice to feel cared for. He wondered if that was how Nikki felt when she went home to Sanity.

“I thought it was kinda suspicious when Dean rocked up with a broken nose” Roman sat down lightly on the bed and studied the two men “Because as far as I know neither of you called in an injury, and then there’s the fact that the communication between everyone went dead… except for you two and Nikki”

Dean and Seth shifted uncomfortably. For Dean, talking about this would be far more personal than it would be for Seth. He had only punched him in the face. It was a can of childhood trauma based worms that Dean didn’t want to open. In fact, he didn’t want to share the mess that was Sami Callihan with Seth to begin with. 

“Are either of you going to talk or am I going to have to drag it out of you? Look, I’m not going to run to Becky, Charlotte or Finn, this is between us, okay?” He tried, his tone seemed to soften as Dean caught his eye.

“I punched Dean” Seth mumbled with a hint of guilt edging into his voice. Dean turned his head to look at him but his attention seemed to be solely focused on Roman “Because… because he was being a massive fucking dick about things he didn’t know about”

“I would have known about them if you’d opened your mouth” Dean muttered lowly. He didn’t mean for it to slip out and the pained expression that crossed both Roman and Seth’s faces were enough for him to regret it immediately. 

“Dean… please don’t” Seth’s tone was so soft and pleading it made Dean’s heart hurt “I apologised, we… we got over it, right?”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that, I was being a dick because I assumed” Dean immediately rushed to Seth’s aid. Roman’s face seemed to relax “We talked it out like big boys and had a game of eye-spy while we waited on you”

“Which leads us onto your second point, the communication drop” 

“Nikki… cut you guys off so she could talk to us” Dean explained slowly. He was, for once, attempting to be tactful about the situation. He was aware that one wrong word about the situation could mess things up for the whole operation. He might lose Roman’s trust, and he had a feeling that trust would be hard to win back once he lost it. 

“Actually, she wanted to talk to Dean specifically but I was there being in the way, protecting him or whatever” Seth grinned. Dean slapped the back of his head lightly “Ow! Fine, I was just in the way!”

Dean rolled his eyes, his mind drawn from Seth by his next words. If he wasn’t careful he’d paint Nikki as trying to ruin the operation when in reality she was just trying her hardest to protect him. If Dean had important information that would help Nikki save Sanity, he’d do the same.

“She… Nikki made a bit of a deal with Callihan” 

“She… she what?” The wave of confusion that crashed over Roman’s features made Dean’s guts twinge painfully. Guilty. He could have said it some way better, he was sure of it “Dean, If this is the truth… I can’t keep this secret for you both, we need to tell Becky, Nikki could compromise the whole operation because of this”

Seth touched Dean’s hand gently, as if he was asking for permission to continue the story. When Dean didn’t pull away, Seth’s palm settled on the back of his hand.

“No, Roman, we don’t” Seth said firmly “this isn’t about Callihan, this is about William Regal and Shawn Michaels being in danger, we took care of Sami… he… he stated quite explicitly that he’s leaving the city”

“He could be feeding you horseshit and you’ve both eaten it right up, where did he get all this information?”

Dean slowly pulled the USB from his pocket, holding it out to Roman with a desperate look settling on his face.

“Hunter”

*

Seth’s laptop lit the three of them in a dull blue light as they huddled together on the bed. Roman had his arm slung over the two men’s shoulders, pulling Dean tight against Seth’s shoulder. Seth had set the USB on top of the keyboard, an unsure look on his face.

“Just put it in the damn laptop,” Dean said finally. Seth’s desktop background was starting to make him buzz with a feeling he didn’t want to recognise. It was just a picture of Cerberus, nothing fancy, similar to Seth’s phone home screen, but it made him feel endlessly alone. He and Nikki didn’t take many pictures together

“Yeah, and it’ll be fantastic when my laptop bites the dust” Seth bit back with a scow. Despite his worry, he still wrapped his fingers around the USB, turning it in his hand.

Dean rolled his eyes dramatically “Nikki would do it”

“Nikki is insane!” 

“Don’t call her that!” 

“Can you two stop fighting for a minute?” Roman groaned “Seth, you know that’s out of line, Dean’s right”

Dean grinned triumphantly at Roman’s words. Nikki was as good as his sister and he’d defend her to the death. He wouldn’t take Seth talking about her as if she was worth any less than he was. Nobody got to undervalue Nikki Cross and get away with it when Dean was around.

His victory was made all the sweeter when Seth shoved the USB into the port with a sigh. He seemed to take a moment to compose himself before opening the file. Inside different folders, names in alphabetical order.

AUSTIN  
FLAIR  
MICHAELS  
REGAL 

“Oh shit, Callihan wasn’t kidding… this is… big” Roman murmured. Seth clicked on the folder with Flairs name. Inside was endless information about the man, document folders full of possible connections, receipts and accounts, as well as a folder labelled as C. FLAIR. 

The men exchanged looks between them as Seth clicked out to check out Shawn’s Folder. Instead of business based matters and a folder detailing Charlotte, it was full of folders of last known contacts and locations. A lot of folders. It wasn’t hard to imagine why. Shawn had been Hunter’s best friend, but it was Hunter’s vicious paranoia after he failed to get to Regal before he left was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Everyone left Hunter. Apart from Stephanie. She'd made the monster and she loved him for everything he'd become.

Austin’s was next. Much along the same lines as Shawn’s but with less information. Alongside the locations and known aliases was a folder reading B. LYNCH. It was starting to creep Dean out. He had a feeling he knew what would be coming when they clicked onto Regal’s name.

He was right. Information poured from the file, full of possible locations and hundreds of images of Regal in different places. Nestled between them was a file with Dean’s name on it.

“Do you… want to know what’s in it?” Seth asked slowly, his mouse hovering over it “We won’t even look if you don’t want us to”

“I… what could he have on me, you know? He ain’t got shit” Dean muttered lowly. Seth took one last look at him and clicked the folder.

Immediately the first thing that stuck out to Dean was the seemingly endless amount of pictures of him in different places. Some of it was grainy security camera footage and photos of him taken from far away, but some of them were closer. Through his windows closer.

The next thing that jumped out was the copy of an email that read ‘Query N. Cross’. He frowned and took the laptop from Seth’s lap, his hand shaking as he clicked on the email.

‘To: Sasha Banks; Drew McIntyre  
CC: Stephanie McMahon  
Subject: Query N. Cross

Is it possible she can be used to get to Ambrose? Can you both run checks on her? Source says that she is currently staying with one of Lynch’s Fatales. Should be easy to get to her. If you can’t get her, go after someone close. I expect results by next week. 

HHH’

Dean reread it again. 

Suddenly, he couldn’t feel anything but panic rising through his body like a rising tide. He pushed the laptop back onto Seth’s lap and scrambled for his room to his phone, smashing the call button on Nikki’s contact. He dropped to his knees on the floor as he listened to the rings.

Ring

“Cmon Nikki… don’t you dare fucking not answer, not now”

Ring

“Jesus fuck, Nikki Cross answer your damn phone”

Ring  
“Please, come on sweetheart I’m begging you here”

Ring

He took a deep breath, fighting off tears. The floor behind him creaked and someone dropped down beside him. An arm wrapped itself around his waist and he was being pulled against a broad chest. It was Roman, soft hands drawing him close.

Ring

“Dean, whit dae ye want? It’s bedtime” She croaked sleepily at the other end of the line. He let out a relieved sigh he didn’t know he’d been holding in “You awright, Deano?”

“Yeah… just… worried about you sweetheart” His voice cracked.

“Deano? Tell me you’re okay?” Nikki asked softly like she was trying to keep quiet for his sake “You’re crying, I know yer crying, don’t cry, ah’ll greet”

“I’m okay, I’m okay, just… we need to check up on Sanity tomorrow, okay?”

“Aye, of course we can, whit’s got into you?”

Roman extracted the phone from Dean’s shaking hands to answer Nikki for him.

“Hey, Niks, Dean’s struggling right now, but we got him, we have him safe, okay?”

Dean could hear a soft ‘Oh… awright… ah jist… tell him good night’

“Of course, night, Niks”

Roman hung up, placing the phone gently down on the ground and immediately touched Dean’s face gently. He wiped the tears forming under his eyes, humming a soft tune under his breath. The door to his room opened again and footsteps creaked along the wooden floor.

“Let’s just… calm down for a bit, huh?” Seth asked softly. Dean nodded.


	15. Coming Of Age

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick Content warning for Homophobic slurs + violence and underage drinking contained within Dean's flashback in the first half of the chapter.

She smells like spun sugar and Dean’s sure he’s in love.

She has the most beautiful black curls and dark brown eyes that he gets lost in when she starts talking. She’s the only girl in the class that’s ever given him and Sami more than a passing glance. She’s pretty popular, which makes it all the weirder that she actively tries to talk to them.

He’s so in love he’s written her a fucking love letter (Which Sami says is soppy and cheesy and he shouldn’t give it to her) and he’s kept it tucked into his back pocket for the last week. He’s made Sami check his spelling a million times, just to make sure he won’t embarrass himself because he’s damn sure she likes him but a spelling mistake might ruin it.

“You’re such a sap” Sami laughs as he watches Dean scribble out a line and rewrite something “You’re not gonna give it to her anyway, you’re just gonna sit with it like a dumbass”

Dean aims a kick at Sami under the table. 

“Mr Ambrose, please keep your feet to yourself” His English teacher warns.

She’s a nice woman, she’s never given either of them detentions and she’s actually attempted to get Dean to read books so he stops trying to brutalise Sami’s shin. Sami sticks out his tongue in retaliation. Dean rolls his eyes and goes back to trying to rewrite his note. By the time the bell rings, the letter’s so full of scored out words and revisions that it’s practically unreadable. Not that it matters because, like Sami says, he’ll never give her it.

They’ve just bought their lunch when the girl bounds up to them. She’s wearing a shirt for a band Dean’s never heard of and she’s grinning ear to ear. He can feel himself turning red as she looks at him.

“You’re both coming tonight, right?”

“We’re both coming to… what?” Sami asks.

“The party? Don’t tell me that you’ve missed like everyone talking about it? We’re all going to meet at mine! Come on, please tell me you’re both gonna come”

“Yeah, of course!” Sami chirps excitedly.

Dean looks at Sami with a frown. He’s been suspicious of this newfound popularity since the beginning no matter how much Sami tries to get him to relax about it. He likes this girl, there’s no denying it but the rest of the group she hangs about with are composed mainly of guys and girls who think that Dean’s the mayor of Shitsville with Sami as his secretary.

She looks at Dean with imploring eyes that make his heart melt.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there”

“9 pm, don’t be late!”

She smiles and shoves a slip of paper with her address into Sami’s hand. She bounces away, her hair swishing around her shoulders as she disappears back into the crowd. Sami groans.

“Your crush on her is so debilitating that you can’t even function”

“Shut up! Since when do you use big words like ‘debilitating’ you sound like an asshole”

“Love you too, D!”

Dean rolls his eyes and wraps his arm around his friend’s shoulders.

“Let’s go eat”

They’re true to their word and by the time 9 pm rolls around, they’re both bundles of nerves. Dean’s already ripped the knee of his jeans up climbing the wall to Sami’s house and Sami’s only just managed to narrowly avoid getting hit by several cars. They’re also both taking swigs out of a bottle of whiskey that Sami stole from his parents. Everything tastes like burning and Dean’s happy for it.

There are kids in the drive when they get there. They’re far enough out of any dense residential area that they can boost their music up as loud as they want and they’re taking advantage of it. It’s not music that Dean would choose, but he’s hoping that soon he won’t need to care.

“Dean!” someone squeaks and he feels arms wrap around him. 

“Oh shit, hey!”

“We’re playing spin the bottle, come on!” She’s already dragging him to the group and he makes a grab for Sami to pull him with them. 

There’s a group of them on the ground in the back yard, jackets under knees as they pass a bottle of bright blue liquid back and forward between them. He drops to his knees with a wicked grin. The group look him over before passing the bottle to him. He takes a sip, pushes it down, and then passes it to Sami who immediately downs the rest.

The bottle clicks on the ground as Sami sets it down, looking at the others expectantly.

“You sure you want to play, Callihan?” One of the boys asks with a smirk “I don’t think the guy to girl ratio is right for you”

Dean wants to defend his friend, but Sami has it covered. He rolls his eyes, flips the guy off and leans over the bottle.

“Scared you’re gonna kiss me and find out you like boys?”

“Oh fuck you, Callihan”

“Thanks for the offer but I’m gonna pass!” He leans back and gestures to the bottle “Who’s first?”

Things start to blur together for Dean. People leave and join in, the bottle spinning indiscriminately. He and Sami have finished the stolen whiskey but someone’s given them red solo cups full of a mystery drink that tastes pretty good.

The girl he likes spins the bottle and lands on some girl across the circle and Dean can’t help the twinge of jealousy. The kiss is less than a second before they jump apart, spewing ‘ews’ at each other like it was something gross. She grabs Dean’s hand and drags it to the bottle.

“Your turn, Dean!”

He takes a deep breath and spins.

Girl, boy, girl, boy, boy girl, girl, boy, boy, girl, boy, Sami, Dean, Girl, boy, girl, boy, boy girl, girl, boy, boy, girl, boy…

It lands on Sami.

"Dean! You got Sami! You gotta do it now!" The girl chirps teasingly.

It lands on his best friend and Sami doesn’t even hesitate to grab Dean by the shirt and smash his lips against Dean’s. Dean feels his head spinning as he tries to combine the fact that he’s having his first kiss and it’s with his best friend. Sami’s all teeth and alcohol against him. And something in Dean’s mind ticks just right. Dean brings his hand up to cup Sami’s face, his eyes fluttering shut as he takes in the feeling that washes over him. Sami’s hands tighten on his shirt. The other boy’s teeth nip at Dean’s lower lip and he opens his mouth and suddenly Sami’s tongue is against his.

He feels, for a moment, like he’s complete. Everything feels right.

And then there’s the laughter.

Sami pulls away quick as lightning. His face is a picture of annoyance as he whirls to look at the group laughing at them.

“Knew Callihan was a faggot but Jesus, Dean, surprised us all” Someone jeered. Dean was lunging across the circle to smash his fists into the body of the boy below him.  
Cheering voices urged the fight on. Dean’s nails find flesh. Biting half-moons into his face before returning to punching. Sami’s with him. He’s fighting with him.

He’s panicking. So, he lists things in his head.

1) He is alive  
2) He is going to do anything for Sami Callihan

When Sami finally drags him away, the fight goes and he’s suddenly just a boy who just might be in love with another boy. They don’t talk about it on the way home. They can’t talk about it on the way home. Because:

3) This… This boy beside him feels like the only home he’s ever known.  
And he won’t ruin that.

*

Roman nuzzles his face into the back of Dean’s neck as he holds him tight. Dean can barely breathe, the world is caving in around him. Sanity’s safety and the pictures of Regal in the USB in Dean’s laptop swirled around his head, it made him feel entirely uncertain about the world around him. The shaky links about everything Dean had ever known were collapsing in his mind.

There were only 3 things that were true at that moment.

1\. Nikki Cross was safe  
2\. Roman was holding him steady against all the tremors coursing through his body.  
3\. Seth was murmuring soft comforting words under his breath.

“Hey, Deano, come on, she’s safe” 

He scrunched up his face as he tried to reconcile Nikki being safe with the copy of the email on Seth’s laptop. But there was more than just Nikki. They’d all seen the files, the comment about Sanity, everything was so much more dangerous.

“You don’t get it” Dean mumbled.

“We get it, Dean, we saw the files, and it’s okay to be afraid” Roman sighed, pressing his forehead between Dean’s shoulder blades. Dean could feel the fight go out of him in a way he hadn’t experienced in years “Hell, we’re afraid for everyone on there, Dean, and that’s okay”

Dean closed his eyes as he attempted to get his thoughts in order. He could read every single piece of information that the file could give him and still not work out exactly what any of it meant. He didn’t want to know. The idea of understanding Hunter was something Dean wasn’t entirely comfortable with.

“Tell us what you need, Dean” Seth edged into his view to place a careful hand onto his bicep.

“We need to check up on Sanity, Nikki’s… group, need to check on Char, make sure Ric’s got extra security…” He started to note various things that needed to be done before Seth cut him off with a small chuckle.

“No, Deano, what do you need?” 

What did Dean need?

He could do with a drink, of course, but he doubted that there was any in the house. There was, however, one vice Dean could indulge in.

“A smoke” He answered gruffly. Roman finally let him go, letting Dean scramble to his feet. He was rifling through his bag before Roman and Seth could say another word. His hands found the packet and the lighter like muscle memory in the contents. He’d packed everything in the same way since he was a kid, only back then it was a little stuffed dog he’d found abandoned at the playground and not cigarettes.

He made his way over to the door out to the balcony, sliding one of the cigarettes from the pack. He looked back at the pair who were still sitting on the floor watching him. Seth pulled his phone from his pocket to scan his eyes down the screen.

“Are you two just… going to sit there?”

“No,” Seth said “We’re going to stand out there on the balcony with you at… 1 fucking am and wait on Finn getting home”

Dean rolled his eyes as he made his way onto the balcony, lighting his cigarette. He leant forward on the railing, his eyes fixed on a point somewhere beyond the garden wall as he took a drag, feeling the comfort envelop him like water. He liked the infinite darkness that stared back at him. Regal had told him the dark was a thief’s best friend and now he was inclined to agree.

“Jesus, it’s fucking freezing” Seth grumbled as he joined him out on the balcony.

Peace ruined.

Dean exhaled and turned his head to shoot Seth an annoyed look. Of course, he hadn’t bothered to even lift one of the blankets to wrap around his exposed torso. He was about to snap at him when Roman’s hands dropped a blanket around the younger man’s shoulders. Seth mumbled a thank you and pulled it tightly around him. Dean dropped his eyes back to the garden and returned to his cigarette. 

Roman took up position beside Seth, both men out of the way of the smoke being blown out of Dean’s mouth. Dean closed his eyes as he tried to return to his state of peace. 

“Dean? Do you not feel the cold?” Roman questioned. The concern edging into his voice made Dean feel nothing but bad. 

“Oh fucking… shh” Dean snapped as he moved as far away from the pair as he could. It was a second before he could gather himself to apologise “Sorry”

“It’s okay, babe, we’re intruding on Dean Time, just say the word and we’ll head back inside”

Dean could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as soon as Roman called him babe. Babe. Jesus, every time he said it, Dean could feel himself sliding further and further into an irredeemable high school level crush that he was entirely unwilling to deal with.

He returns to his cigarette with a vengeance. He can’t send Roman or Seth away, but he can’t look at them either. He stubs out the remnants and goes to light another when Seth coughs slightly.

“Dean?”

“Yeah?” He asked, flicking his lighter.

“Do you… want to come over here?”

Seth reached out with the blanket towards Dean with a small smile. Dean’s thumb fell off the ignition button and he glanced over at the pair who were huddled together under one of the blankets from Dean’s bed. They looked comfy and there was room for one more. He shoved his lighter in his back pocket and returned his unsmoked cigarette to the pack.  
He moved towards Seth, who not so subtly, pulled Dean into the blanket cocoon. Seth’s hand was warm and soft against Dean’s as he pulled him tight against him. To Dean, it seemed like Seth was obsessed with being in contact with whatever part of Dean he could get his hands on, it was almost endearing. Roman shifted to be behind them both, his head to lean against Dean’s shoulder.

It felt like movie nights with Sanity, but in some ways, it was much better. They were quiet together, just getting used to each other’s presence. He had a feeling that with Finn, it would feel entirely different. This wasn’t a normal friendship activity.

“I have a couple of questions, and I’d like you both to listen and not get mad straight away” Roman’s voice was a warm note that reverberated through Dean’s entire body “Hunter is… how well does Hunter know you?”

“He knows… me pretty well” Seth's voice was muffled by the blanket as he pulled it around himself tighter to fend off the breeze.

“Yeah, I mean, you were his… little pet, right? He just knew me as Regal’s kid”

“That’s not true” Seth muttered, an edge of jealousy seeming to creep into his voice continued “He talked non-stop about you, how I should be more like Regal’s kid ‘cause he always listened and did what he was told and shut up and didn’t ask any questions”

That didn’t sound like Dean at all. Dean had always acted out and got in trouble as a teenager. He had the scars from getting into fights to prove it. And not asking questions? Regal had taught him not to question how he would do something, but he’d instead taught him to ask him why he would do it that way. Dean also had the attention span of a fruit-fly so clearly this mystical other Dean that Hunter had conjured into being was not him.

“He fed you bullshit, and you ate it up, Rollins” Dean couldn’t help the smirk on his face “Oh come on, don’t get all jealous because The Game pretended I was some sort of child prodigy, I spent the better half of my teenage years getting my ass handed to me by Regal because I was always out of line”

“I thought it was too good to be true but he always… made you a step ahead, you know? You were always better”

“That leads me onto my second question” Roman seemed to be trying to choose his words carefully as he drew the two men against his chest “What would Hunter use to manipulate you both?”

“Loyalty” Seth had said the word Dean was thinking.

Loyalty.

Dean was endlessly loyal to the people he cared about. They were as good as family. A dysfunctional family, but a family none the less. Regal, Becky and Charlotte, Nikki and Sanity, and now… Cerberus. He was as fierce and as loyal as a guard dog when it came to protecting them, hell he would lay down his life for them if he had to.  
Seth was another story, after all, Dean had history, but Seth had Hunter.

*

Dean was the only one still awake. Roman and Seth were slumped over on Dean’s bed asleep, letting him get some alone time out on the balcony with his thoughts. He stared off, his eyelids heavy with sleep. The idea of just joining the pile of bodies was appealing but his brain was refusing to let him switch off. The sound of footsteps downstairs made him jolt to attention and he turned on the ball of his foot.

Quietly, he crept out into the hallway. His fingers closed around his knife, flicking it out as he moved soundlessly down the darkened staircase. His eyes darted around as he attempted to spot the source of the noise. Scout was asleep on the couch, her small body taking up as much space as it could. He rounded the stairs, stepping towards the only open door in the area. The garage door. He pressed himself against the wall as the door opened and prepared to take down whoever was at the other side. 

The light flicked on and Dean stuck his foot out to trip the mysterious visitor and take them down to the floor. 

Finn Balor went flying flat on his face.

“Jesus, Mary and Joseph, fer fucks sake, bastarding shite” Finn rolled onto his back spewing curses. He looked up at Dean with a confused look, rubbing his forehead as he sat up. His eyes landed on the knife and his hands immediately shot up defensively in front of his chest “Jesus, truce, I didn’t mean t’ scare you”

“Sorry, thought you were a burglar” Dean couldn’t help the fit of giggles that overtook him. Finn had an expression plastered on that read ‘Are you serious?’ and that only served to make Dean’s laughter worse “you were- oh my god your face- holy shit- I am so sorry”

He doubled over, clutching at his sides as he tried to contain his laughter.

“We need t’ put you on a leash t’ keep you from killin’ me” Finn grumbled as he got to his feet “Swear, I go out all night protecting Charlotte and suddenly I’m the bad guy”

That shook Dean from his laughter.

“How is she?”

“Fine, shaken I guess but then again who wouldn’t be? Had t’ wait till we got Fatales in for protection” Finn takes a moment to look around the room, frowning. Dean let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding at the news “Where’s Seth and Ro?”

“My room, asleep” Dean answered quickly “What did ya do with Candice?”

“They couldn’t wait up? Am almost hurt” Finn chuckles “Candice is locked up in Becks and Char’s spare room, they can’t exactly let her out in case she kills them during the night”

“Did Charlotte tell you she could take care of herself?”

“Of course she did”

Dean smiled. Charlotte could be independent to a fault sometimes and he could imagine her exact tone of voice as she told Finn exactly why she didn’t need any help. 

There was a creak at the top of the stairs as someone moved down them. It was measured like the person was actually trying to be stealthy. Both Finn and Dean turned towards the stairs to see Seth creeping down, a blanket draped around his shoulders like a cape. He shuffled towards them, his eyes heavy with sleep. Cute, Dean’s brain supplied before he caught himself.

“Oh! Finn! You’re back?”

“No, he’s a ghost, this is all a dream, go back to bed” Dean rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers in front of Seth’s face. He batted his fingers away with a tired groan. Finn pushed past the pair of them to make his way up the stairs.

“I would be asleep right now if someone didn’t walk around like a fucking elephant”

“That was Finn falling” Dean deadpanned. He stepped towards Seth, spinning around and wrapping his arm around his shoulder “Come on, bedtime, you’re not sleeping in my room”

Seth stuck his tongue out slightly, pulling a face “So it’s cool for Roman to crash in your room but I can’t?”

“Different story, babe”

The word slipped out before Dean could stop it. Clearly Roman’s little pet names were starting to rub off on him. He could feel his heart drop into his stomach the second he said it. Seth quirked his eyebrow.

“Move, bed, go” Dean muttered gruffly and shoved him towards the door to his room. Seth huffed and folded his arms, leaning on the door “What?”

“Roman’s pretty sprawled out on your bed”

“And? I’ll just sleep in his room, s’not a big deal” Dean cocked his head to the side. He wasn’t sure where Seth was going with the train of thought. Seth groaned in slight frustration, pulling the blanket tighter around his shoulders.

“Oh just take a fucking hint and come into my room, I want to talk to you”

“Say it with your mouth next time, I’m not psychic” 

“Make me” 

Dean could feel whatever uneasy truce he’d formed with Seth starting to crumble. God. He was infuriating. Seth didn’t seem to notice the change and ambled off into his room, the blanket flowing out behind him like a cape. He could just as easily stomp off to Roman’s room or even go to his own and worm his way under Roman’s arm again, but no, he’s following Seth before he knows what he’s doing. 

The room, while pretty much the same as his, was unmistakably Seth’s. The t-shirts hanging in the open wardrobe were mainly concert shirts for bands Dean had never heard of. There were dark bags hung up that Dean assumed were for suits because Regal used to have an appalling amount of them in his wardrobe too. Seth had hunched down on the floor, messing about with his phone charger before popping his phone onto the bedside table.

“I’m gonna put sweatpants on” Seth announced in Dean’s general direction like was the most natural thing in the world. He disappeared into the ensuite bathroom, leaving Dean to his own devices. So, Dean did what came naturally to him at 2 am and flopped with a heaving sigh down on the bed. 

He thought about going to his room and finding something to sleep in, but the fact of the matter was he’d sleep in his clothes more often than not. What was the point of taking off an outfit to put on another when you were just going to get changed again in the morning? Besides, without the vest over the top, the hoodie was pretty comfortable. He was about to put his head down on the pillow to look up at the ceiling when he realised how much like Seth the spot smelled like. Clearly, this was Seth’s side. Dean was not about to intrude.

He shifted to the other side of the bed. He was just about to relax when the thought of Seth’s nose wrinkling at the stench of Dean’s hoodie. With one quick motion, he unzipped it and tossed it to the floor. He had no real idea why he was thinking so much about Seth Rollins’ comfort. He was meant to be the last person he cared about.  
He shut his eyes trying to focus his thoughts. Maybe he was just subconsciously trying to stop any arguments before he ended up beating Seth’s ass. That was probably it. There was nothing else to it.

*

Seth emerged from the bathroom 20 minutes later. Dean knew it’d been 20 minutes because he’d been playing Tetris on his phone to keep himself awake. It had vaguely worked. He started to feel his eyes closing as he dropped an L piece into place, the vibration of the cleared line making him start. 

Seth dropped onto the bed with as much grace as a new-born baby deer and rolled onto his side to look at Dean’s screen.

“You’re still here?”

“You invited me in, I’m not gonna be rude and… ah… that’s a game killer” He watched as a block fell in a completely uncorrectable position “That one’s your fault”

“Thanks” Seth answered simply as he took the phone from Dean’s hands and locked it. He dropped it into the space between their bodies like a pseudo-line that neither of them planned on crossing “So, talk?”

“Shoot”

“I want to be real with you, and not the punch you in the face real, cause that sucked”

“My face thanks you, I gotta keep this ruggedly handsome shtick going for at least another 5 years”

“Dean-“ Seth began before stopping himself “I want to talk about Hunter, about loyalty… without Roman, because I know exactly what he thinks about us and I don’t want to ruin that for him”

There was a bubble of uneasiness building in Dean’s gut that was threatening to pop at Seth’s words. They were deliberate. Not that Seth was skirting around the issue, he just wasn’t saying entirely what he meant. What did Roman think about him? Dean shook himself internally. He didn’t need to care what someone else thought of him.

“I’m loyal, you’re the one who should be worried” He muttered under his breath automatically.

“You know he’s persuasive, it’s not down to things we’ve done, Dean” Seth’s frown grew deeper as he stared at Dean. Dean couldn’t help but feel that Seth was trying his hardest to analyse him “You know that he’s going to use people you love against you, maybe I’m harder to pin down now because he won’t touch my parents and he doesn’t know… who else I have”

“How’s he going to get his hands on anyone I love? It’s a select group and he’s tried to find them, failed obviously, but it ain’t working”

Dean moved onto his back to avoid looking at Seth’s eyes. 

“DIY got Charlotte and you’re trying to tell me Hunter couldn’t get her? Or Becky? Or Nikki?”

“We’ll be more careful now, s’not like we’re not capable”

“Oh sure, but what about Kevin Owens, or Sami Zayn, Dean? We can’t protect everyone”

“Yeah,” Dean said lowly, folding his arms over his chest. His mind was drawn to Kevin, to Sami, to the little girl who was going to complete their family. They deserved to be safe and it wasn’t up to Seth to decide what they deserved “But we can try”

Seth fell silent. Dean thought for a moment that he was thinking but soon, the sound of snoring told him otherwise. With a sigh, Dean rolled on his side and fell asleep.


	16. Common People

Dean woke up to the mess of Seth’s hair pressed in his face. He nearly pushed him away out of reflex until he realised Seth was still asleep. Dean was also clinging onto him so it wasn’t entirely his fault that he was right up in his face. He let go of the man next to him and carefully rolled out of bed to avoid waking him. His phone read 9 am which was far too late for Dean. He had pretty much always liked to be up when the sun was barely piquing over the buildings that towered around his apartment block.

He tried to keep as quiet as possible as he made his way to his room to see if Roman was up. The dark shape on the bed told him that he was not. Dean fumbled through the dark of his room to find his jeans and a shirt to shove on. 

The bathroom attached to Dean’s room was still pretty much untouched. He’d been in for quick showers, but he hadn’t exactly moved into it. He hadn’t moved into any room in the house, he was still anxious to get home to his little apartment. The Fatales had thankfully dropped off toiletries so Dean could take a long hot shower without interruption.  
He always turned the shower up as high as his skin could handle it. He stripped off his clothes and threw himself under the hot blast, leaning his forehead against the titles as he let the water run over him. He didn’t feel like working out, he just wanted to check up on his friends.

He stood under the water gathering his thoughts for at least 20 minutes before he could even consider starting to wash his body. His thoughts were rushing through his mind a mile a minute. There was so much left for him to do to protect his friends.

Dean stepped out the shower and dried off, pulling on his clothes and staring himself down in the mirror. He was slowly checking off his mental checklist of things that you were meant to do to be a real human in his head. He lifted his toothbrush. Another tick.

He was trying to brush his back teeth without vomiting when a half-asleep Roman walked in.

“Oh, shit, sorry forgot!” He threw up his hands in apology and turned.

“S’okays” Dean slurred through the toothpaste before leaning over to spit out the foamy mess “Sorry, no it’s cool, I’m just leaving”

Roman turned back. Dean shot him a winning smile.

“Meet you downstairs?”

“Course, babe”

Dean slid past him trying not to think too hard about how handsome Roman looked or how he could just see the edge of an intricate tattoo peeking out from under his shirt. He definitely didn’t think about how he’d want to trace that tattoo while straddling Roman’s hips. He could feel himself turning red as he headed out into his room to find his favourite bashed up pair of sneakers, shoving them on quickly before making a hasty retreat downstairs.

Downstairs was not as quiet as upstairs. Scout bounded over to him excitedly, barking as he bent to give her a scratch behind the ears. She wasn’t entirely happy with just that and shot straight for the glass door to the garden. Dean smiled and followed her, letting her out into the warmth of the morning. She sprung around in circles, chasing her tail with a glee that Dean wanted to commit to memory. Scout had grown so much since Dean had found her cowering behind a pile of boxes while he was taking out the trash. She was friendly, sure, but never this happy.

He rooted around in the slightly soggy box of toys Bayley had dropped off and found a tennis ball that was probably too big for Scout but she’d enjoy it none the less. He tossed it and the little dog went straight for it.

Scout could get the ball, she just couldn’t give it to him.

“Come on, Princess, give” He tried for what seemed like the 60th time. The dog smashed her forehead against his palm and didn’t drop the ball. He had to stifle his laugh and try and keep a straight face “Scout, if you want me to throw the ball, you gotta give me the ball”

The dog just didn’t seem to get it. She looked up at Dean with big eyes and he could tell for a minute that there was nothing but elevator music. He burst into laughter and she dropped the ball at his feet, jumping up on him with a bark to match his laughs.

“God, you’re an angel, Scout, dumb but god if you aren’t one of the best things in my little life” He pressed his face against hers with a smile. 

“She still not getting the whole… drop thing?” Roman asked from behind them and Dean had to hide an even bigger smile against Scout’s neck.

He straightened up with the wriggling mess in his arms and turned to face Roman who’d changed into something that Dean would call casual. He’d only ever seen Roman in hoodies and suits and their gear, he’d never seen him like… well, like he was. The tank top and sweatpants combo really did something for Dean. His previous assumption that he’d enjoy tracing every inch of Roman’s tattoo was also correct. He had to chide himself internally for thinking of Roman like… well, like that. He put Scout down and she bumbled her way over to Roman who happily showed her the attention she was obviously looking for.

“Nah, she just-” He held his hand up and butted his forehead against it “-Does that then gets mad because I haven’t thrown the ball” 

“You are such a troublemaker” Roman grinned and for a moment Dean wasn’t sure if he was talking to Scout or him “Get you all nice and trained up one day, huh?” That sorted it. Unless Roman was into some… interesting stuff.

Jesus, Dean was getting Stockholm syndrome. Well, not quite, but he was pretty sure he was going insane at the least.

“I’m gonna get some breakfast, then I’m callin’ Niks” Dean explained as he moved back into the house. Roman and Scout followed him as he rifled through the cupboards “Want pancakes?”

“You don’t have to-“

“I’m making them, Roman,” Dean said as he reached into the fridge to grab eggs “I promise I won’t give you salmonella”

“That really sets my mind at ease, thanks a lot”

Dean bustled around the kitchen with Roman watching him like a hawk, because he’s making a mess, but it’s a mess that makes sense in Dean’s head. He’s never measured anything in his life and he can see the wince Roman tries to hide as half of the handful of flour he tosses in the bowl misses it and goes streaking along the countertop.  
Even when he was a teenager standing awkwardly in the kitchen as Regal watched him with his burning gaze, he never cared exactly where most of whatever he was making ended up. As long as there was enough to impress his da-Regal. As long as he made a good impression. 

He’d been cooking long before he moved in with Regal. When he lived with his mom he’d cooked as much as he could from whatever he scraped up, but when he finally moved in with Regal… there was a whole new world of food to explore. He swore that he’d seen colours he’d never seen before in the spice rack and smelt fruit so sweet that it couldn’t be real.

He’d flipped over one of his pancakes when his phone started to ring. Roman was immediately by his side, taking his hand from the frying pan and motioning for him to take the call.

Dean stepped back to fish his phone from his pocket. That number. He answered it before the phone could splutter out the 3rd ring.

“Hello, Dean, just checking in” Regal’s voice was soft at the other end of the line as if he was suppressing a smile.

“You don’t do check-ins”

“Ah, you’ve caught me out on that one” Regal chuckles lowly “I heard about the Flair debacle, you really do make me wonder sometimes, throwing yourself around like that, I thought I taught you discipline”

“With all due respect sir, you know you never taught me impulse control and it got the job done” Dean shot back. Roman looked at him with a questioning stare and it forced Dean to lower his voice “Are you really just checking up on me?”

 

“It is part of it, I was wondering of course what that pretty little drive Mr Callihan gave you had on it”

“How do you know that?”

“I have my sources, mainly the ones close to Hunter who are more than a little concerned that they have, to use an old adage, created a monster”

“Steph?” Dean asked softly. The idea that Stephanie could be on Regal’s side was an odd one, but then again, Stephanie had overthrown her father. Hunter had become, for all intents and purposes, just a shade of her father.

“Something like that” Regal paused while someone in the background spoke. Dean couldn’t quite work out what it was, but it didn’t matter because his mentor didn’t respond verbally “Dean, what colour was it?”

Since Regal had come into his life, Dean had colour coded his fears, his nightmares, his worst moments. It worked for the Englishman who could categorise them and soothe Dean appropriately whenever was necessary. Regal tried not to over comfort where he could help it. They hadn’t done it in so long.

“Black”

Regal cursed slightly and took a moment to collect himself. Dean waited patiently in silence, trying to catch any more noise in the background.

“Now that is not what I wanted to hear, Dean”

“Join the club” Dean retorted. There were more voices now, Dean could pick out a mix of Irish and English accents, there was definitely something Australian thrown in “Sir, what are you doing?”

“Questions, Dean, please don’t ask them when they’re not relevant”

“But-“

“Dean I am trying to protect you, do not ask me any more questions that don’t have any relevance to the subject at hand” Regal snapped. Dean could feel embarrassment piquing on his cheeks and he turned his back to Roman.

His shoulders sagged in defeat “Yeah, I understand”

“I… Dean, I am sorry, I just didn’t expect… black… I did think it would be red or pink, but black… interesting, do keep me updated please”

“I’ll try”

“There’s my boy, now, I have to go and see to some things, stay out of trouble”

“I’ll try… have a good day I guess”

“Goodbye, Dean”

“Bye-“ He was cut off by the call ending before he could finish. He held his phone in front of him for a moment, staring at the phone with his brows raised slightly “Oh love you too!”

“Who was that?” 

Dean jumped slightly. He’d almost forgot that Roman was in the room. He was busy plating up pancakes but he had a worried air about him as he carefully lifted a pancake from the frying pan. 

“Uh, would you believe it was the wrong number?” Dean asked with a forced laugh. Roman didn’t laugh. He avoided Roman’s gaze as he did his best to shrink down, hunching his shoulders up. He made his way to the cupboard to fish out powdered sugar to pour some over the top of his stack. 

“Weirdly enough, I wouldn’t” Roman stepped back from the counter. He’d separated the pancakes onto two plates. Clearly, Seth and Finn wouldn’t be invited to the breakfast meeting “Do you want like… strawberries and stuff on your pancakes?”

Dean nodded and carefully sprinkled the sugar over the top of the stack. He would have preferred Maple syrup but sugar and fruit would do, it was a half attempt at being healthy “Sugar?”

“Yeah, Dean?” Roman answered with a half-smile as he dug into the depths of the fridge to retrieve the fruit. Dean groaned, rolling his eyes.

“No… Do you want sugar?”

“Sure, need to ask Bayley or someone to pick us up some syrup”

“Read my mind, Ro!”

Roman smiled and carefully started arranging fruit on the pancakes. It was oddly homely to make breakfast with Ro. He was pretty sure that he could enjoy it forever if it wasn’t for the fact he knew as soon as they started to eat, Roman would ask him about Regal. He was nervous to talk about him. It would be revealing a secret he’d been keeping for so long to someone who he… well, he didn’t know Roman that well. He’d always assumed he’d tell Becky and Charlotte one day but aside from that, he reckoned he could keep it quiet for as long as he could. He assumed that Regal would probably be back before he would tell Becky or Charlotte.

Roman lifted the plates and nodded to Dean “Grab forks, babe?”

“Can do”

Roman settled down at the head of the dining table, Dean on his right. They ate in silence for a minute, Dean wolfing down his pancakes as if he’d never eaten anything in his life. Roman smiled appreciatively as he ate, his eyes never quite leaving Dean.

“You’re a good cook, Deano” Roman said without a hint of teasing in his voice. Dean turned red. Compliments continued to be the opposite of his forte. Roman tapped the back of Dean’s hand lightly “You should cook more, show off your skills, I’m pretty sure you’re as tired of our cooking as we are”

“I can only do breakfasts an’ desserts” He mumbled, swallowing back the lump of pancake he was eating “I’m not that good for anythin’ else”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not true, Dean” Roman sighed “You gotta have confidence in your talents”

He was confident in the skillset that Regal had provided him with but outside of that he was fundamentally… average. He’d never been great in school and there was a long line of teachers who could attest to that. But talents? Dean didn’t really have talents, he had things he’d learnt out of necessity.

“Yeah… sure” He stabbed at his pancakes with a frown. He could feel a sharp pain forming at the base of his skull “Tell ya what, when this all blows over, we’ll have a fuckin tea party, we’ll even invite Hunter, huh?”

“Dean…” Roman said softly, looking at him with reproachful eyes.

“Sorry, just don’t feel great”

“Do you want to talk?”

“Not really” 

Dean dropped his fork onto his plate with a loud clatter and he got up to grab himself a glass of water. He gripped the glass tight as he stared at the water blasting from the dispenser in the fridge. Roman didn’t deserve to be treated the way Dean was treating him. He sighed and stepped back, taking a small sip from his glass.

He turned back to Roman who quickly averted his gaze to his plate in front of him.

“You wanna ask about the phone call?”

“Yeah, but I’d prefer you tell me when you want me to know”

“Okay, I can… I can deal with that” Dean took a deep breath and sat back down at the table.

Dean should have guessed that it would go down like that. Of course Roman wouldn’t push him, he was so accommodating all the damn time. Dean was probably just too used to being forced to reveal information. The thought made him shiver like he could feel the damp of the basement creeping back into his bones. He felt a flood of coppery blood wash over his tongue and he realised he’d been biting his lower lip as he thought. He shook his head to clear it. 

The past was the past. Dean had to live in the present. He had to find a way through.

He met Roman’s eyes.

“Wanna come get Niks with me?”

“Thought you’d never ask”

*

“Ye should have let Dean drive! We woulda got here faster” Nikki called from the back as she drummed the palms of her hands on the back of the driver’s seat. Roman rolled his eyes good-naturedly and motioned for them to get out.

“We would also have probably crashed” Roman muttered as he got out. Dean suppressed a laugh and opened the back door to let out his friend. Nikki spilt out onto the pavement like a tiny animal, bounding towards the door of the apartment block in front of them.

Roman and Dean had picked Nikki up from the address Nikki had provided. Jimmy had answered the door, pulling Roman into a tight bone-breaking hug. Nikki came barrelling past the pair straight into Dean with a gleam in her eye. Going home, even if it was just mentally for a while, was enough to lift everyone’s spirits.

Now, in front of Sanity’s apartment, things were feeling even better.

It was a stupid idea, Dean thought as they approached the door. Nikki’s home in broad daylight, anyone could see them coming from a mile away. Which is why it was also the perfect plan. Why would two notoriously hard to catch criminals visit one of their own homes during the day when they were in the middle of a full-on territory war? They wouldn’t, and neither DIY or Hunter would waste resources on the prospect of it. 

Roman followed closely behind Dean as he set off after his friend who’d already made her way inside. They picked their way around the children in the corridor who were playing some sort of card game on the ground outside of Nikki’s apartment. They looked up at the three of them as they passed, chirping cheery ‘Morning Nikki!’ and ‘Morning Dean!’s as they passed. Dean had been around long enough to get to know the kids in the area, he’d helped them out a couple of times when he was waiting for Sanity to be done with whatever they were doing and come back to their apartment. Good kids.

The door swung open with just the touch of Nikki’s fingertips. Inside was silent and dark. Dean swallowed and followed Nikki. She seemed wary as she toed a pile of clothes out her way. Sanity weren’t known to be tidy, but at least they got basic hygiene right… most of the time.

The living room was pitch black. Dean could hear nothing but the sound of his breath and the slight creak of the floorboard behind him as Roman entered the room. It felt wrong. He took a step towards where the centre of the room should have been in the lit room only to trip over something large.

Something large that moved.

“I’ve already… said… fuck off Wolfe” An Irish voice slurred out. Killian Dain. Dean took a step back, bumping into Roman’s chest. The bigger man wrapped a protective arm around his chest, murmuring a soft ‘You good?’ into his ear. Dean nodded, hoping Roman could feel the response.

“Wasn’t me, shut up” Alexander Wolfe’s voice came from the dark.

“You’re both loud” Eric Young’s voice followed by the sound of a thump and a groan. Young had clearly launched something that had hit Killian in the dark.

“Yer no loud enough” Nikki countered like she was part of the conversation and not just butting in out of nowhere.

“You don’t get the opportunity to weigh in, Niks, you’re not here” Young muttered.

“Don’t talk to hallucination Nikki like that, yer being a dick” Killian snapped. The sound of rustling followed his statement and a soft ‘oh’ grunt from Wolfe.

“Hallucination Nikki can say what she wants, I miss her voice” Wolfe chimed in.

“Wait, can you both hear her too?”

“They can hear me ‘cause am no a hallucination, ya eejit!” Nikki said somewhere off to the left of Dean as she tried to find the light switch in the dark.

The light flickered on, illuminating the living room and the crowded mattress that had become the main feature of it. The three men sat up immediately, their eyes darting around as they adjusted to the light. Nikki scrambled over piles of clothes to fall on top of the three with an excited shriek.

“Missed yees!”

Dean stifled his laughter as Nikki climbed over the mattress to scoop all three of her friends into a bone-breaking hug. Killian pressed his face against her shoulder with a smile that could be considered soft for the giant.

“She’s real” Alexander tapped Eric’s arm as though he wasn’t also being trapped in a special brand Nikki Cross hug.

“No, really?” Eric groaned, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Aye, really!” Nikki finally let go of the three, leaning back on the mattress with a mad grin. She clapped her hands together excitedly “You all look alive”

“Just” Killian shrugged “It was touch and go when Eric tried to build the new coffee table” He jerked his thumb towards a slightly shaky looking table propped on the wall.

“It’s not that bad!” Eric muttered, reaching over to hit the back of the Irish man’s head. Killian narrowed his eyes, his head swivelling in Eric’s direction. 

Alexander coughed politely, waving a hand over the top of Nikki’s shoulder at Dean. After Nikki, Alexander might have been Dean’s favourite member of Sanity (Not that he should be picking favourites out of his weird siblings). The German was the peaceful medium between Nikki or Eric’s excitement and Killian’s strong quietness. He also had one of the warmest smiles Dean had ever seen in his life.

“Hey, Wolfe” Dean waved back.

“What’s with the bodyguard?”

Roman let go of Dean as if he’d just realised that he’d been holding him. Dean shrugged.

“That’s Roman!” Nikki chirped excitedly. She’d taken up position behind Killian and was running her fingers through his hair, twisting braids with fast fingers “He’s good at making Dean no kill… anybody”

“Hey” Roman tried with a half-smile, raising a hand gingerly “I wouldn’t say that’s my special skill”

Eric tilted his head to the side, scratching his beard. His eyes seemed to be burning a hole into Roman. He wrapped an arm around the back of Alexander to gently touch Nikki’s back.

“Are you going to tell us what you’re all doing?”

“Can’t, Becky’s made us promise not to tell” Nikki shrugged and gave the back of Killian’s hair a tug. The Irishman growled slightly and Nikki murmured a soft ‘sorry’ before continuing. Dain closed his eyes.

“You guys need to lock your front door” Roman took a step towards the mattress with a frown.

“Why would we do that?” Killian asked, opening one eye to look at Roman “’s not as if we got anything to hide here”

Dean sighed. Sanity would take a little more convincing. They didn’t exactly believe in danger coming to their doorsteps, they were the most isolated people Dean had ever met. If it hadn’t been for Nikki, the trio might never bother to leave the house some days. They were all computer security experts, mostly working for surface level companies and banks. Nikki was really the only one who did anything illegal consistently.

“Hunter’s got you on a ‘how to get under my skin’ list so it’d be great if you locked your fuckin’ doors for Nikki’s benefit,” Dean said flatly.

“Well, maybe… we’ll look into a lock” Alexander leant forward, his head in his hands as he smiled at Dean “Remember we can all take care of ourselves, Dean, yes?”

“Yeah, I know, just try”

“Trying is… possible”

*

They hung around for another hour, Dean and Nikki attempting to get Roman familiar with the mess that was Sanity. He got the spirit of it in the end, he just… didn’t get why they couldn’t just put the clean clothes in a closet. Eric told him with a slight grin that organisation came in all sorts of forms and Roman just had to wince and get on with it. 

Roman drove back to Naomi and Jimmy’s house, the Scot still complaining about his safe driving. When she left, it felt like all the energy had been sucked out of the car. Dean climbed through the gap between the front seats, flopping into the passenger seat with a groan.

“Why do they make it so hard to get through there?”

“You’re meant to get out of the car and go through the door, babe”

“I’m not bowing down to social conventions like doors!”

“You’re impossible”

“You love me really” Dean fired back out of reflex. Roman swallowed and looked away, starting the car back up. Dean could feel heat building up in his cheeks and decided to completely skate over what he’d just said “You know, I still can’t work out why Hunter would want me, doubt it’s my winning personality”

“You’re not wrong,” Roman said. He turned his head slightly, keeping one eye on the road as he talked “But you forget that you, Becky and Seth are the convergent points of the old and new generation”

“What do you mean? Use… use little words, please”

“Well, you and Becks grew up under both Vince and Hunter, I mean, how old were you when Vince went down?”

“I was… we were about 11, I was still at home then”

“Exactly, you’ve seen both regimes, Seth came a little bit later, but all three of you were brought up by… well legends, Hunter excluded” Roman continued “But he’d use you as bait”

“Why not Becks? Or Seth? If I was Hunter I’d want my favourite toy back, and Stone Cold under my thumb would be… something else”

“Yeah, but if he gets you, he gets Becks, Regal, Seth and everyone else” Roman finished “You are the… thing that brings us all in”

Dean settled back in the seat, throwing his feet up on the dashboard with a frown. Roman was right, to a point. He was still reasonably suspicious of Seth. He’d left him to die once before and Dean was pretty sure he could do it again and be quite happy with himself and his little life. He’d move on. There were people who cared about Dean a lot more than Seth probably did.

“Makes me feel real confident, thanks”

Roman snorted, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips before something more serious settled over his face.

“You can shoot, right?”

“Sort of, haven’t really needed to fire a gun since… ever, I usually I just… avoid people and hope it works out”

“Want a refresh? Just to make sure you can”

“Yes please”


	17. The Violence

Roman guided Dean’s hands, his chest half pressed against his back in a way that was utterly, annoyingly, distracting. So distracting that Dean hadn’t been able to hit the target successfully once. Thankfully, the Fatales around them were too busy with their own shooting to notice the way Dean was absolutely failing to hit anything.   
Becky had texted them the details for the range that the Fatales used. It wasn’t Fatale owned, but Becky paid the owner a hefty fee to keep the influx of women without licenses at the range under cover, so Dean and Roman turning up wasn’t too out of the ordinary.

“I hate this” Dean muttered lowly, his eyes narrowing as he tried to replicate the stance Roman had shown him for the billionth time.

“I can tell” Roman took a step back from Dean, folding his arms “You still look like you’re trying to look like John McLean”

“Yippie-Ki-Yay, Motherfucker” Dean cast a look over his shoulder with a small smile. Roman rolled his eyes, unable to shake the ever growing grin on his face. Roman looked far more relaxed and Dean preferred him that way.

“Both hands”

“That’s what he said”

“You’re not funny, babe”

“Your smile says otherwise!”

“Eyes forward”

“Aye, aye, captain”

Dean shut his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath to centre himself as he raised the gun. He needed to relax and not think too much about it. Dean opened his eyes. 

Bang.

One shot straight through the head of the target. He tried again. Almost dead centre of the chest. He put the safety on and put the gun down quickly and took a step back from the range. He reached up with one hand to pull the ear defenders off, staring at the target with a slight sense of worry settling in his gut.

He was slightly shocked at how easily it came back to him once he relaxed. The memory of Regal making him do it a billion times chewed at his guts, like the man himself was still watching him like a hawk. 

“Fuck you’re a better shot than me” Roman’s voice from behind him made him jump. Dean swallowed and shook his head.

“Just a fluke, you’re up”

Dean threw himself against the wall, folding his arms as Roman took up position. 

An icy fear ran through Dean as he watched Roman. The man’s posture screamed contract killer, the focused look in his eyes scared Dean more than he cared to admit but he was fascinated by the way Roman seemed to send bullet after bullet whipping through the air without noticeable pause. It caught several Fatales’ attention.

By the time Roman was done, Dean had accumulated a group of Fatales beside him watching. Roman turned to them, running a hand through his hair. 

“Time to go?”

“Sounds great” Dean mumbled and pushed himself off of the wall. The group around him dispersed and Dean let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding as he joined Roman. Roman wrapped an arm around his shoulders, guiding him out of the space. It was as if he could feel Dean’s discomfort, giving him a small squeeze. Together they wound their way back out to the car.

“What’s up?”

“You’re really fucking terrifying” Dean shrugged off Roman’s arm. He turned his head to look at the big man, a small frown on his face “Well, not scary because… I know you, but… Jesus, you’re basically the terminator”

“Oh come on, Dean, you were good as soon as you remembered the basics” Roman tried in an attempt to downplay Dean’s comment “Where did you learn to shoot?”

“Regal” Dean’s frown deepened “What didn’t he fucking teach me, man?”

“Do you… want to talk about it?”

Dean took a deep breath, dropping into the passenger seat.

“Yes”

*

Dean’s never fired a gun before in his life and he’s pretty sure Regal is one more missed shot away from just scrapping the whole idea and reversing the adoption process. William usually has all the time in the world for Dean, but this is testing both of their patience. Dean’s hands are unusually shaky every time he raises the gun to fire it.

“You are making this far too difficult, Dean, remember to relax, once more” Regal tuts from behind him. Dean takes a deep breath and puts the ear defenders back on and runs through the process once more. 

Safety off, aim and support, finger on the trigger, fire.

Miss.

“Fucking bullshit!” He growls and whips off the ear defenders, tossing them into the range in front of him.

“Language, Dean, if you’re going to swear make sure it’s worth it” Regal sighs. Dean clicks on the safety and places the gun down, turning to face his mentor. Regal’s reclining on one of the chairs at the chairs behind him. The room is dimly lit, but Dean can just see a crease of worry on his face.

“But it is bullshit, I can’t hit the fucking target” 

“You can’t hit the target because you’re too focused”

“I need to focus otherwise I won’t hit!” 

“Dean, sit” Regal motions to the chair beside him and Dean shuffles over and sits. His mentor looks at him for a moment over peaked fingers before shutting his eyes “Do you remember the first time you made it through the grid training scenario?”

Dean nods. It had been a gruelling Saturday of Regal running through about a million different scenarios with Dean. He’d transformed the second floor of the house into a training floor for him and the fake laser grid in the hallway was just one aspect of the day but it was by far the hardest. Every time he hit one, an alarm went off and Regal made him do it all over again. 

“Now, tell me exactly how you did it”

“I… don’t remember… It was all… autopilot I guess?” Dean mumbles. If he was honest, he had just started following his gut.

“Perfect, autopilot, just the thing” Regal held up a pair of ear defenders “Again please, Dean”

He nods dumbly and puts them on. When he picks up the gun, he tries not to think too much about the eagle eyes watching him. He tries not to think really. He’s not trying to be the best. He just is.

The gun goes off before he realises he’s pulled the trigger.

He flicks the safety and pulls down the ear defenders.

“Remarkable”

The bullet hole is dead centre of the printed outline’s head. If it was a real person in front of him… well, there wouldn’t be a real person in front of him anymore. It makes him feel sick but Regal’s voice urges him to continue.

“Again Dean, quickly”

He hits the target dead in the chest and Regal lets out a small laugh.

“Again”

“Why do I need to do it again?” Dean asks. His voice sounds whiny as he stares into the bullet holes. They’re sharp and vicious looking. He can picture them in a person and the thought makes his stomach churn uncomfortably as he stares at them. He hates the idea of killing someone else, always has, that’s why he throws himself into the non-lethal thief aspects of his training rather than things like this “It’s idiotic, if I’m a good thief, then I don’t need to know how to kill”

“Everyone needs to know how to kill in this business, Dean, don’t be a child about this”

‘But I am a child’ He wants to scream at the old man. His fingers make their way up to his collarbone and he sneaks his hand under his shirt to drum his fingers against the warm skin. It’s like Regal has forgotten he’s 14 years old. Dean knows for a fact normal 14-year-olds aren’t training to kill to keep themselves alive. 

“You do make me wonder sometimes, Dean Ambrose” Dean turns to face the man, unable to shake the frown from his features in time. Regal pats the chair beside him “Here, sit down… I’d like to talk to you for a little”

Dean throws himself down, folding his arms and closing himself off from his mentor. Regal raises an eyebrow.

"Dean, if you want to act like a petulant child about this you are welcome to, just don’t expect me to deal with it. If you would like to go be dramatic and brood, there will be time to do it later”

Dean nods slightly. For how much Regal cared about him, he hardly showed it. Dean’s emotions were to be carefully controlled now. He called him ‘mouldable’ on a call to Hunter once and Dean didn’t like the sound of that. William Regal was a great man, but Dean didn’t want to be him. Dean wanted to be Dean Ambrose.

And Dean didn’t want to be a killer. He wanted to be a normal teenager and play video games and eat too much pizza with his friends. Well, eat too much pizza at least, the friends’ part was the hard bit.

“Now, Dean, I need you to talk honestly with me”

“Actual honesty or do you want to hear what I think you want to hear?”

“Blunt and truthful, my boy, I wouldn’t have you any other way” Regal reclines, staring at Dean through a heavy-lidded stare. Dean stares back “Are you quite alright?”

“No”

“Now we have the formalities over, care to tell me why?”

Why wasn’t Dean okay? Why wasn’t he okay? If Regal couldn’t see it he was fucking blind, Dean decided.

“No, I don’t care to, Regal”

“Now, now, Dean, remember your manners”

“Yes, sir”

Dean could feel his brain fighting against him. What kind of kid called their adoptive parent sir? Dean! That was who. Why couldn’t he just be a normal rich guy and give Dean the Cinderella moment he deserved instead of being William Regal? Why couldn’t Dean just have a dad instead of a mentor? He’d never wanted a father before, his mom’s boyfriends had put him off that, but he wanted Regal to just… be his dad for a while and take off the jacket of a world-renowned thief for just one moment.

“Colour?”

“Red”

Annoying, frustrating, tormenting. Dean could punch him. A year and he was already ticking along like clockwork, answering his colour request like it was the most natural thing in the world. He just couldn’t put into words how it felt. Regal leans forward to clasp one of Dean’s hands, looking at him with a slight set in his jaw.

“You really don’t like this, do you?”

“I don’t want to kill people, even bad guys, it doesn’t feel right… I shouldn’t get to choose if someone goes home at the end of the day” Dean mumbles lowly. Regal’s thumb strokes over the back of his hand encouragingly.

“I understand, Dean”

“But you don’t, do you?” Dean asks and Regal actually seems taken aback by the sudden burst of anger from what he thought was a pliant Dean “You enjoy the risk and the thrill, and dead men tell no tales and you’ve never liked anyone to make it out with a story, right? You didn’t even let the fucking family lawyer out of there without writing up a gag order so he can’t talk about me or you” 

“You saw that?” Regal asks with a hint of amusement.

“You threatened him with a gun, of course I fucking saw it” Dean loads his words with as much venom as he can, tearing his hand away from his mentors. Regal almost looks hurt by the action.

“Language, Dean. He had such loose lips, it was necessary”

“Necessary because it would be so awful for the world to find out that you’re my adoptive dad? I know I made my mom sick of me but you can at least fucking pretend to like me, you chose this!”

“Is that what you think that’s about? If I could tell the world that you’re my son, I would, but I’d prefer you not to have the metaphorical embodiment of a target strapped to your back” Regal’s voice has as much quiet ferocity to it as Dean’s come to expect from him but it still makes him shrink back. Where Dean’s anger was loud and bold Regal’s anger was quiet and deadly, it scared him far more than loud arguing but it didn’t make him cry the way yelling did. Regal’s eye twitched as he fought to keep his composure before sitting back “If you are so convinced in every way that I never wanted you, was not proud of you, why would I keep you around? Why would I see you through these… fits of passion, if I didn’t… you would be gone if I didn’t think you were worth your weight in gold to me, Dean”

“I’m sorry” Dean mumbles out, running a hand through his hair nervously.

“No, don’t be, perhaps I’m just an old sentimental man, Dean, but you do mean a great deal to me” The man takes a measured breath “If you wish to stop any scenarios with guns, give me the word”

“Yeah… just for now”

“That’s my boy, now, at the risk of sounding condescending, run along, you have the rest of the weekend free”

*

“That bad, babe?” Roman asked as Dean finally stopped talking. He’d driven them back to the house but they’d been sitting in the garage for the best part of 20 minutes while Dean spilt his guts. If he had been any more tired, Dean probably would have broken down and started crying like a baby about it. Dean nodded wordlessly and leant his head forward onto the dashboard “hey, hey, don’t worry, it’s fine, I get it”

His hand fell on Dean’s back, rubbing comforting circles into his spine. Dean turned his face away from Roman to hide the pink flush building on his cheeks.

“I always thought… my family weren’t proud of me, I guess I get it” Roman says slowly “You thought… that because he didn’t let you call him dad or whatever, he didn’t think you were good enough”

“There’s no way on earth your family aren’t proud of you, Roman, have you met you?” Dean turned his head back with a slight smile “You’re incredible”

“Guess it just doesn’t feel that way when you got the weight of the world on your shoulders, baby boy”

Dean leant back and Roman’s hand found its way from his back to his thigh, resting there for a moment. Dean had to swallow back a nervous laugh as he tried to not think about the warmth radiating from Roman’s hand. 

“You are incredible, I wasn’t kidding”

“You too, babe”

They stared at each other; the ghost of a smile echoed in each other’s faces. It seemed to last an eternity until it didn't and Roman was pulling away to get out of the car.

“C’mon, let’s see what havoc Seth and Finn are up to”

Whatever Roman was expecting was not the scene that they came face to face with.

*

“Hello, Dean” Tommaso Ciampa sneered, looking over at the two from the sofa. Beside him, Seth was struggling under the weight of 3 men holding him down. He was fighting to keep his face from being pressed against the flooring, hair plastered against his forehead. Finn was nowhere to be seen. Dean’s hands curled into fists “And you… you must be Roman, aren’t you just… excessive”

“What the fuck do you want?”

“Nothing you can give me, Reigns, though I suppose you’re used to that” Tommaso shrugged and stood up. His voice pitched to a whiny approximation of Roman’s; his hands held over his heart “Nobody wuvs me! Daddy and Mommy didn’t tell me I was their spwecial wittle bwoy enough - you do realise that you have a very loud voice, dont you?”

Roman took a step forward, ready to swing for the bald man, but Dean held him back, his fingers digging into his wrist as he pulled him back.

“Oh Dean, you are smart. Far more so than your little Nikki but that can’t be helped… How is she by the way? Is she missing her freaks? Or are you missing them? I never know exactly how you navigate that relationship”

“Don’t talk about her like that, you don’t have the right to talk about them like that” Dean hissed and took a step forward. This time it was Roman who held him back, but just barely. The man in front of them smirked like he’d gotten everything he wanted from Dean.

“How lovely, you two make quite the pair” Ciampa turned and motioned to the 3 behind him pinning down Seth who was still fighting against the weight on his back “Can one of you go find Johnny? I don’t want him to start feeling bad about what he’s doing”

One of the men let go of Seth and the other two hauled him to his feet.

“Jesus, you two took your time” Seth muttered earning him an elbow to the side. He doubled over with a sharp hiss “Fucking hell, that hurt, you don’t need to be that rough, I’m not going anywhere”

“Quiet please, Rollins, you’re going to give me a headache”

“Oh wow! Great! Why don’t I go and get you some fucking Tylenol?” It earned him another sharp elbow and he gave a winded yelp. Seth’s eyes flicked up to meet Dean and Roman’s, darting over in the direction of the stairs, mouthing the word ‘Finn’.

Dean nodded and took a step forward. Ciampa pulled his gun and Dean looked at it with the tired expression of someone who’d been in the situation too many times.

“Step back, Ambrose”

“I would but I don’t really care about being shot right now” Dean glanced back at Roman, making sure to put himself between Ciampa and Reigns. If Ciampa shot, he’d much rather that Roman, Seth and Finn made it out than him “I’d rather know what you’re doing here, you’re not known to make home visits too often”

“This isn’t the movies, Dean, I’m not going to reveal my master plan to you” Ciampa’s face was a picture of amusement as he stared at him. Dean could feel himself turning redder and redder. Ciampa opened his mouth to say something else but he stopped as Finn was pushed into the room by a flustered Gargano and the guard who’d left the room to go find them “Ah, there you are Johnny, I thought that you were having another of your change of hearts"

Johnny shook his head and nudged Finn into line with Seth.

“Not at all, someone just has a lock on his door”

“Had a lock” Finn commented under his breath “And in all fairness, I don’t have a door now”

Ciampa shot Johnny a look and Gargano smacked Finn over the back of his head with the butt of his gun. Seth made a move to grab Finn to hold him up but Johnny turned the gun on him. Finn hit the floor with his knees, groaning.

“You guys are just jokers, aren’t you?” Ciampa’s voice would have been cheery if it wasn’t for the fact the cheer didn’t reach his face “Perhaps Lynch hasn’t knocked that out of you all yet, but with any luck, she will if any of you make it back to her in one piece”

Dean could feel the sick rising in his throat as Ciampa turned to face Seth, reaching in his jacket pocket to pull out a knife. He pressed the blade under Seth’s chin, making him tip his face upwards to meet his eyes. Seth swallowed; his eyes narrowed.

“Seth... Hunter would be so pleased to have you back” Tommaso dragged the knife down Seth’s neck lightly, tracing to his Adam’s apple before coming to a stop “I suppose he'd prefer that you came back in one piece… but-”

“Shame we don’t share” Johnny cut in. Ciampa turned his head to smile at his friend. Johnny reached down to grab Finn, hauling him to his feet by his hair “How about Finn? What do we have on him again?”

“Does Bullet Club sound familiar to you, Johnny?” Even from the other side of the room, Dean could see Finn flinch. Seth made a choked-up noise as Ciampa moved the knife away from his neck and swivelled to Finn. 

“Of course! Murderous bastards the lot of them” Johnny tightened his grip on Finn’s hair with a cruel smile “I heard they were desperate to get their hands on a guy called Devitt, did you know about that at all, Finn?”

“Prince Devitt died a long time ago, I thought you would have heard” Finn twisted in Johnny’s grasp “The Young Bucks jus’ let him die, yer not exactly smart either of you”

Ciampa laughed and took a step back. He shoved his knife into his pocket.

“If Devitt died then you must be just his perfect double” Johnny rolled his eyes “You might have been able to get away the cute stupid act when you were pretending to be a model in Japan for Bullet Club but not now”

Dean’s mind was racing as he attempted to pull together the correlation between Finn Balor and the infamous Bullet Club in Japan. Dean hadn’t paid attention to much outside the city after Regal had left but he had heard enough about Bullet Club. Who hadn’t? After all, they’d made quite a mess. The last job they’d done… the Shirai job…

The Shirai Job. 

He wracked his brains. Roman had told him all Finn’s time as a model in Japan, and the last job he’d done. It made sense. Of course Finn was more than some kid messing around with his friends in Japan. You didn’t get that good without help.

Tommaso had been talking while Dean zoned out and when he zoned back in, he was entirely unsurprised to find that Tommaso was still talking. Johnny was quiet, listening to his partner as he rabbited on about all the ways he’d love to kill them. 

“It’s sad how you all rush to Flair’s side, but she’d be content to let you all rot”

“Oh fuck all the way off! Yer doing my head in acting like yer fucking supervillains” 

“I’m not a supervillain” Johnny murmured. Dean raised his eyebrows “We’re just… doing what we need to do”

“By what? Selling us off t’ the highest bidder? Didn’t think that was exactly hero of the people material, Johnny” Finn’s eyes met Johnny’s, something aside from terror creeping into them. Dean could have sworn he saw the ghost of a smile on Finn’s face as Johnny swallowed hard.

“Balor, shut your mouth or I’ll shut it for you” Ciampa growled.

Dean worked out what Finn was trying to do at the same time as Roman did. Roman sighed and ran a hand through his hair, casting his eyes over Johnny sadly. For Candice’s sake, Dean hoped this was going to work.

“Johnny, you can’t seriously believe that you’re still the good guy right now” Roman’s voice was soft and patient. It was like he was talking to a wounded animal as he stepped forwards “This is mad, don’t you see? Candice… she doesn’t want this for you”

“Candice…”

“You’re a good guy down below all this, I know you are, me and Niks have seen it man” Dean chimed in “You can be the hero this time Johnny, you just have to leave shit like him behind”

And then several things happened all at once.

Johnny let go of Finn who full force threw himself at Seth and the men holding him, taking them all to the floor with him. Seth swung his elbow back to meet the side of the guard to his left’s head, wrestling his way out of their grips and rolling to the side. Finn grabbed him by the back of the t-shirt and yanked him back towards the couch and out of the way of danger.

Gargano swivelled to smash the butt of his gun full force over the back of the remaining DIY guard’s head, knocking him to the floor unconscious. Roman pushed Dean down onto the floor, a hand resting on his shoulder as he hunkered down in front of him. He pulled his gun from the inside of his jacket, lining a shot up with Ciampa’s head.

Before he could pull the trigger, however, Johnny turned to face Ciampa. A sick crack resounded through the room as Johnny kicked Tommaso square across the jaw.  
Ciampa crumpled to the ground.

“Holy shit”


	18. Kids

“Is he… dead?”

“Don’t be stupid, Ambrose, he’s just knocked out” Johnny crouched down beside the body of his prone friend, pointing to his chest. He cast a rather empty look at Dean as he tossed his gun down on the floor beside him. He looked like he’d had the soul ripped out of him as he hunched over his former friend “Still breathing”

Johnny had a point. Ciampa’s chest was rising and falling steadily, a fact Dean hadn’t really noticed because the man had gone down like a ton of bricks onto the floor after Gargano’s kick. He could have been dead for all Dean knew. Roman released Dean’s shoulder, his gun moving from the space where Ciampa had been to Johnny.

“Put the gun down, Reigns”

“Get rid of your boys then we’ll talk, Johnny”

Johnny stared at Roman for a moment before his attention pulled away from him. He nodded to the guards who were still conscious, grouped around their floored friend. He was still breathing, but Gargano’s pistol whip clearly had enough behind it to knock him out for a while. The men around him looked up with nervous eyes, darting between the fearsome looking Reigns and the Conflicted Gargano.

“There’s been a change in management, you guys should head home, yeah?” He said slowly. The two nodded and hauled their friend to his feet, holding him up as they stumbled towards the door “And get him to a hospital… please?”

Roman lowered his gun and Johnny dropped his eyes from him back to his friend on the ground. He stared at the prone form with something akin to sadness. 

It was a betrayal and Dean was sure Ciampa would see it as such. Tommaso would probably tear Johnny apart if he ever got his hands on him again. It was a horrific mutiny on his best friend and even worse to then to give him over to the enemy. Dean swore blind that he could see echoes of Johnny’s expression in Seth’s eyes as he met them. Was that how Seth felt now? Remorse for his actions but was he like Johnny? Sure that it had to be done to save himself? No, it was different. Ciampa was different. Johnny and Tommaso were friends, had been friends for a long time before this with years behind them. Dean and Seth had only met once on a dark night... Seth was sheer self-preservation. Johnny’s kick was born of years of manipulation by his best friend.

Finn and Seth approached from behind, placing a hand on Johnny’s shoulder. Gargano took it as the cue to get to his feet and Finn twisted his right arm behind his back.

“Dean, Seth, I need you both to take Johnny upstairs and keep an eye on him” Roman motioned to the staircase and nodded to Ciampa “Finn with me, we’re calling Becks and keeping an eye on him”

“I’m not going to fight, Reigns, I can stay here, I want to stay here” Johnny argued “Is it really not enough to take my best friend out? Do none of you trust me?”

“No, Ciampa’s a bastard, even to you, so it doesn’t mean shit” Dean crossed towards Seth and Finn, swapping out with Finn to keep Johnny’s arm pinned back “We’ll trust you when you prove you can be trusted, Johnny boy”

Ciampa stirred and Finn sighed, crouching down beside the man on the ground.

“Seth do you still have that sedative stuff from when we were in Germany?” He asked, rolling Ciampa onto his front. Finn pulled his arms behind his back and placed a knee in the centre of his back.

“Nah, Walter kinda took a lot to keep down” Seth answered. He placed a hand in the centre of Dean’s back and pushed him and Johnny towards the staircase. Finn looked up with a disappointed expression and Seth looked taken aback. Rollins muttered a defeated “He was huge” under his breath and pouted.

“I’ll get ropes” Roman grumbled lowly, heading towards the garage.

“Kinky” Dean answered reflexively and Roman jolted to a halt.

Everyone turned their heads to look at him, a look of exasperation even creeping onto Johnny’s face. Dean held back a laugh threatening to burst from his mouth as Seth hit him lightly over the back of the head.

“Come on, dumbass”

Seth gave him a nudge towards the stairs and Dean set off, Gargano held tightly in front of him. When they reached the top of the stairs, they had to pick their way down an overturned hallway. Finn’s doorway was a dark gaping mouth into a barely illuminated room. Finn had obviously closed the curtains and turned off as many lights as he could to avoid Gargano and the rest. They pushed into the room, picking around the shards of the wooden door as they entered. 

When the light switch flipped on, the place looked even worse. Finn’s pile of materials for making explosives was scattered across the floor and Seth let out a surprised sound. He pushed past Dean to scoop stuff up, and Dean, nervous about Finn’s warning on his first day, manoeuvred Johnny into the bathroom and pushed him into the bathtub.

“This is ridiculous, Dean, you know I’m not like him” Johnny muttered as he sank down. Dean shrugged and sat on the lid of the toilet, hunching over to stare at Johnny. Gargano shifted under his scrutiny, looking more like a child than the co-leader of DIY.

“This isn’t about being like him, it’s about everything you’ve done”

“If I used that excuse you’d laugh me out of here”

True. Dean closed his eyes and sat back. What was the difference between the things they had done? 

To survive, sometimes you had to do immoral things. You had to please people who you’d rather weren’t anywhere near a position of power. 

But Dean wouldn’t hand Ciampa and Gargano over to the highest bidder. No. He’d just hand them over to the women he trusted more than anyone in the whole world to do the right thing. Becky and Charlotte weren’t monsters, they just had monsters to contend with. 

“Is Candice okay?” Johnny asked quietly, looking up from his hunched position.

“She’s fine” Seth supplied, slipping inside the room to lean against the towel rack, His face was a mask as he leered at Gargano “Missing you, by the way, the real you and not the little monster that Ciampa created which sucks because you’ve always been his creation”

“Don’t-“ Johnny began but Seth was clearly on a roll.

“Does it ever keep you up at night? The innocent people that have died because of you, that is” Seth asked, a sick looking smile plastered on his face “I wonder if you know their names, Johnny, or are you so far detached you do whatever Tommaso says? I know every name on my list, do you? Did Adam Cole put up a good fight and did you tell him you were just following orders”

“Adam isn’t dead” Johnny whispered softly. 

“No, he’s not… but do you wish he was after what you did?” Seth continued, tilting his head to the side “He talks a lot when he’s afraid, you know? He talks a lot anyway... but when you really… twist the knife in... he can't shut up. It's kinda interesting how scared you are about the Era coming after you”

“I’m not scared of the Era”

“Oh? Really? Maybe you’re not scared of the Era, then, I believe you” Rollins paused and stepped towards the bath. He hunched down, leaning forward to get into Gargano’s face, a smirk plastered there “Are you scared that Ciampa will find out you never finished the job? Are you trying to be everything he wants you to be?”

Gargano swallowed and Dean suddenly saw the gleam of silver in Seth’s hand. 

“Seth, stop it,” Dean said slowly, stepping towards the man and placing a hand in his hair. Seth’s body tensed “He’s not like him, so stop it”

Seth’s head turned up to look at him. His eyes were cold looking for a moment like all the wide-eyed excitement had been drained from him. Those eyes, Dean recognised as a shiver crawled its way up his spine, were a killer’s eyes. He looked years older in the light of the bathroom but that seemed to melt away when he looked at Dean. He immediately looked guilty.

“Out, get out of here” Dean muttered and released him. Seth stood up slowly and walked out of the bathroom. Johnny visibly relaxed “You’re lucky that I like you, else I might have let him go on”

“No, I think it’s more that he’s lucky you like him” A faint smile crossed Johnny’s face as he stared at Dean “Because I think you might have let him do it if you didn’t want any more blood on his hands”

Dean nodded stiffly and left Johnny and his thoughts alone to the bath.

*

Seth looked horrific; his knees drawn up to his chest as he sat on the centre of his bed. Some of his awful music was blaring as Dean poked his head in through the open door. Scout circled around his feet nervously. He was pleased to discover she’d hidden under his bed when DIY had stormed the place. She was shaken but not shaken enough to shy away from jumping up onto Seth’s bed and licking the back of his hand. Seth straightened up, head swivelling towards Dean, reflexively stroking Scouts head.

Gargano and Ciampa were gone. Roman and Finn were transporting the restrained and gagged Ciampa and the passive Johnny to Lynch for safety. They couldn’t risk a Fatale making a single mistake, even Becky had admitted that Cerberus would be better suited to the job.

Dean sat down tentatively on the edge of the bed.

“Do you think I’m a bad person for wanting to kill him?”

“He’s done bad things” Dean frowned as he searched for the words “But then again so have we, you can’t make yourself judge, jury and executioner for a man who basically gave himself up”

“But if he and Ciampa hadn’t?”

“I would have still stopped you, we don’t need to kill bad people to be good people” Dean scratched a hand over his stubble, chewing on his lip as he considered his words.

His morality was playing cat and mouse with his conscience. If and when he came face to face with Hunter, would he do the job that needed to be done? Dean was sure there was a way out without killing him, there had to be, but his brain refused to co-operate with him in any way. It never did. Dean had never been the brains of any operation. He was a risky thief and nothing more. 

Seth patted the bed beside him, encouraging Dean to move up from the corner but Dean couldn’t. He couldn’t reconcile the image of Seth with the knife with Seth on the bed. Two different people in one. This Seth was damaged and needed Dean desperately but he’d seen the ice-cold killer that ran just under his skin's surface.

“That didn’t answer my question, do you think I’m a bad person?”

“Yeah, you sure are a bad person, but so am I, so Is Becks, Charlotte, Niks – Hell, Roman and Finn are bad people – but it’s our job to be awful people in the same way it was Johnny’s job” Dean’s brain was racing as he talked, anxious to air out all his emotional griefs with his job at someone who might have the ability to understand in a way that normal people just couldn’t, but Seth was expressionless. He looked like he was gone entirely as Dean talked, his body there but his mind far away from the moment. Despite it, Dean continued on strong, tapping his thigh as he went to keep him grounded in the best way he knew “We grew up with this shit, this violence, but it’s our choice to keep doing it that makes us who we are, I try so hard to be a good person but I know the second good money calls I’m gonna be making wrong decisions no matter the time or place!”

“Dean…”

“Some people will escape, sure! Of course they will! There’s gonna be a day when Nikki goes home and she won’t have to leave the boys she loves again, a day when Becky and Charlotte get married without the fear of one of them winding up dead the next day”

“Dean!”

“I’m still gonna be scared my whole life of becoming like Hunter or Ciampa, there’s never gonna be a day when I’ll be able to stop running from this all and hiding from everything I’ve done”

“You don’t have to keep running, Dean, you can leave”

“No! I can’t, Seth you don’t understand”

“I do, I do, I can’t-“

“This is the only life I’ve ever known, you can go to your cushy little house when this is all said and done, Roman can go home, Finn can go back to reality! I’ve only ever known this, I’ll never be able to run from this, I-”

He was cut off by Seth grabbing a hold of him and dragging him practically on top of his lap. He rested his forehead against Dean’s. Dean grabbed at Seth’s shirt, his hands tangling up in the material to keep himself steady. Both of their breaths were shallow, ghosting off of each other’s lips as they stared into each other’s eyes, Seth’s wide eye browns and Dean’s blues, refusing to break the stare for any amount of time.

“Wh… what the fuck was…”

“Dean Ambrose, stop cutting me off when I’m trying to explain something because the only way I know to shut you up is by doing something like this” Seth said quietly, reaching up to place a hand on the side of Dean’s face, thumb stroking over his cheek gently “I’ve killed people, Dean, my real self plunges knives into good men’s necks and watches the life drain out of them and I'm running from him, but I am going to stop one day and face everything I’ve done, and you’re going to do that too”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m going to be right by your side when we face the past, I’m your backup, always will be”

Dean’s hands shook as he let go of Seth. His hand went to his pocket, rifling through for the knife. Seth’s eyes widened as Dean flicked it out, a moment of panic crossing his features before Dean flicked it back in. Out. In. Out. In. He flicked it in time with his breathing, his thoughts consumed by Seth. His backup. 

How had be gone from an unknown other to someone Dean could consider a friend?

Scout made a pitiful ‘pay attention to me’ whine from under Set’s hand and the two men broke from their trance.

“She probably wants out, right?”

“Yeah, that’s usually what that means”

“Can we take her a walk?”

“Christ almighty, Dean, it’s like 10pm”

“9, its 9pm”

“Roman would kill us”

“Oh I’m so scared” Dean deadpanned before unwinding from Seth. He nodded to the door, getting off the bed and taking a few steps before realising Scout hadn’t moved. He turned to remind her with a small smile “Let’s go princess”

“I’m not coming”

“I was talking to Scout, Rollins, I don’t usually call you princess to your face”

“To my face?” Seth laughed. It was loud and annoying but, god, it was endearing. Dean swallowed and turned back to the door so he didn’t have to see Seth’s face as his eyes lit up in such a pretty way.

“C’mon, Scout” He tried once more. On cue, the dog jumped off the bed and trotted after him. 

*

Walking Scout was surprisingly easy. She liked to be close to Dean when they were outside anyway and seemed only too happy to walk alongside him. They stopped by a patch of grass with small clovers pushing up through the green. Dean sat down on the grass, leaning back on his hands as Scout sniffed and scrambled around the dirt around him.  
He fumbled in his pocket for his cigarettes to shove one in his mouth, lighting it up. If he and Scout stayed there for too long he’d probably get picked up for loitering or whatever the police had tried to get him charged with when he was 12 and his mom’s boyfriend… fiancé… whatever had locked him out.

He tried to remind himself that it was a job. He didn’t need to like Seth and he didn’t need to have those feelings bubbling up in his chest for him and Roman. It was stupid, he was an adult, and he wasn’t trying to hook up with every guy in a mile radius that moved anymore. Since Nikki, he’d actually grown a concept of responsibility. He didn’t have siblings growing up, he never quite fit in with the neighbourhood kids. He never got the chance to care about someone the way he cared about his very own twisted sister. He learnt all her ticks, what candy she liked, what smells she liked and what made her want to tear her hair out. He did his best to look after her on jobs and bring her home safe to Sanity. She wasn’t a kid, but there was a small part of him that wanted to look after her forever. 

His phone buzzed in his pocket and pulled it out to check it.

‘It’s Roman, Where are you?’

He deleted the message and reached over to scratch his dog counterpart behind her ears, watching her roll about in the dirt. 

Buzz. An incoming message popped up with Becky’s number attached.

‘Stop causing trouble lad n answer Reigns’

Delete.

‘Deannoooo’

Delete.

‘U know I can see u reading these?'

Delete.

'Fine whatever at least let me know ur safe b4 Char kills me’

‘I’m safe’

‘Wow u can use a phone, text Reigns!’

Dean couldn’t help but laugh. Becky never gave up on him, even when he was at his lowest point, so his fits of teenage angst in his mid-20s were nothing in comparison. Scout started to tug on her lead and Dean got to his feet to go with her. They looped back around on themselves, heading back towards the house.

He fired off a quick text to Roman to say he was coming home like Becky had asked him to. Scout was pulling him all the way back, excited to get home to the people she liked. 

Maybe Dean was a little excited too. 

Roman and Seth made him feel like home. It felt like being enveloped by a warm blanket. Even when he and Seth fought like dogs, Roman could be there to keep them both steady. And Finn, of course, he was one enigma after another. Dean didn’t have a stupid childish crush on him, but Finn was interesting. The Demon had been with Bullet Club in Japan, but he was a whole different man, it seemed. Dean knew what it was like to change, it seemed that the prince and Finn were very different from each other. 

He sighed.

Things were needlessly complicated. 

After this was over, after Hunter fell, maybe… just maybe the world would seem a little less confusing.


	19. The Game

Becky spent the next few weeks in and out of the house, briefing them on the plan of action now that DIY were fundamentally dismantled. Her curfew and house-arrest for them all was over now that DIY posed no immediate threat and Hunter was quieter than he had been in years. There were no sightings of McIntyre or Banks either, Bayley told them as she played with Scout in the garden, and, much to everybody’s surprise, there had been no suspicious deaths… anywhere. It seemed like Spring and the warmth that came with it had broken through the dark clouds at last and everyone seemed a little brighter.

So, Dean cooked, he walked Scout, took runs when he could, and saw Nikki as much as was humanly possible. He entirely avoided talking to Seth about how close they had been on the night of Gargano and Ciampa’s downfall. It wasn’t like he was embarrassed by it, he’d been in more compromising situations with guys before, but the soft intimacy terrified him. He wasn’t even entirely sure it actually counted as intimacy.

“Yer zoning oot again, ‘s like talking tae a brick wall ‘eh day” Nikki complained, throwing a pillow from the couch straight at Dean’s head and hitting it spot on. He groaned and threw it back at her, her hands coming up to grab it. She immediately barrelled it at Dean and he barely had time to duck before it spun across the room and into the back of Finn’s head as he walked by carrying a glass of water. He froze mid-step, clutching the glass with such ferocity it looked like he was trying to shatter it. Nikki snorted a laugh and chirped out a “Sorry, Finnegan!”

“’s fine, Niks, as long as you don’ pick up Dean’s liking fer knives, we’re jus’ peachy” He muttered and disappeared up the stairs as fast as he could. Nikki giggled to herself. She’d just settled on calling Finn Finnegan and was excited to use it as much as she could.

It seemed like the whole house were trying to give Nikki and Dean space to just relax with each other. Roman had only interrupted to tell them he was taking Scout out and Seth had been absorbed by his laptop in his room.

“But, aye!” Nikki slid her way across the couch to her friend, leaning on his shoulders with a sigh “Whit’s yer damage?”

“Nothing, what was it you were saying?”

“Ah wis jist sayin’ that Killian says that they’re being cut off from jobs an’ I think it’s got everything to do with us”

“Hunter has interests, Hunter will do his best to keep your little grabby hands off his interests”

Nikki flopped dramatically over him, stretching out like a cat. He was 50% sure she actually purred as she threw her hands up above her and wiggled her fingers as if to prove her point.

“These grabby little hands are itching tae jus’ take him down” She grinned. Dean patted her head softly and she laughed “Wolfe says that he’s about tae throw in the towel an’ just join us y’know? They’ve aw been talking about it with each other”

“What’s Young saying about it?”

“He says-“ She dropped into her impression of Eric, puffing her chest out “We should listen to Nikki! If she wants us to help, then we’ll help”

“And you said?”

“If they want to help, they can help. Ah mean, when it comes tae Hunter’s security, I think am gonnae need the best and they are the best. They literally designed his security from the ground up”

“Fair, does Becky know yet?”

“Aye, she said as long as they don’t draw attention to us we’re fine, though all ah had to say was ‘Killian’s Irish’ and she wis like ‘Aye, fuck, send ‘em in!”, she’s fun”  
Dean nodded and shut his eyes, his hand stroking softly through Nikki’s rats nest of hair. She continued to babble but Dean was already tuning out. Repetitive movements sent him off into trance. It was comforting to him. Nikki fell into a quiet rendition of a Sanity outing that Dean knew so well that he didn’t have to listen to. He wasn’t surprised that when he opened his eyes, she was half asleep, mumbling words under her breath.

Nikki talked in her sleep almost as much as she did when she was awake. He resorted to just listening to the soft huffs of names, blends of Eric, Alexander and Killian escaping as her mind worked things over. Her mind was always a mess that he had learned to navigate through sheer trial and error while she was left to work things over in her dreaming hours. 

He was just about to extract himself from under her and get her something comfier to put under her head when Seth came thumping downstairs, laptop in his arms.

“Dean! You need to see this!”

Nikki bolted upright at the sound of his head and swivelled her head to stare at Seth with an angry fire.

“Oh shit, sorry Nikki”

“’s fine, talk quiet” She collapsed back onto Dean, her eyes shutting as Seth approached them. 

He perched his laptop on the coffee table in front of them and sat down beside Dean, his arm bumping Nikki’s forehead as he leant forward to pick the laptop back up and put it on his knee. She hissed and swiped at him and Dean had to catch her hands before she could lodge her nails into his arm.

Seth whispered a quiet sorry and dropped the laptop into his lap.

“I’ve been looking at the files from Hunter” Seth started quietly. Nikki’s eyes opened as she immediately tuned into the conversation “And there’s this one file, there’s copies of it in everyone’s folders and it’s… like a file but the format, it-“

“Doesn’t exist!” Nikki finished his sentence for him and immediately sat up. She took the laptop from Seth, dropping it onto her stomach. Her fingers were a blur as she tapped away “That’s ‘cause Alexander made it, Dean, gie him a phone?”

“Already on it, sweetheart” Dean threw his phone to Seth “Pass is 0000, Wolfe is saved as Arschkriecher” 

“I canny believe that’s the only German you remember” Nikki sniggered as she produced a memory stick from the confines of her jacket to plug in beside Hunter’s. 

“Do I dare ask?” Seth muttered as he pressed call.

“Arsehole” Nikki stated.

“Ass kisser” Dean corrected.

The phone rang once, twice, then a third time before Alexander picked up with a cheery “Dean!”

“How do I run a program using your decryption software?”

“With great care” The German responded bluntly “What do you need from me?”

“Hunter’s code, please”

“We don’t- Killian! What is the… no, no, no, Hunter’s code? Ask Eric, please” Alexander started to hum under his breath, the audible sound of tapping came from the phone as Alexander set it down “Eric, yes, I need, uh, Hunter’s code for his files”

“Tell him ah want it!” Nikki called.

“Nikki wants Hunter’s code” Wolfe relayed. There was a second of silence and Seth opened his mouth to talk before Wolfe cut in “It’s 24, next box 09, next box 19, last box 76”  
Nikki started to type, the first layer of encryption falling away easily before another code box popped up. 

“Yo, we need another code!” Seth called, leaning over Nikki to stare at the screen “’s asking for another one, ‘s no good”

“Ah ah ah, whoever your friend is, Dean, please tell him to be quiet because I was getting to it!”

With a smirk, Dean leaned down to Seth’s ear “Alexander says shut up”

“I heard what he said”

“Try… try 27, next box 07, 19, then 69, does it work?”

“Perfect!” Nikki answered with excitement building “One more to go”

“One more?”

“One more!”

“Nikki, we don’t have codes for another lock” Eric’s voice came through clearly, Alexander reduced to background noise. He’d obviously snatched the phone from the German’s hands “There is no last lock on Hunter’s things, there never has been, we never made it that way, it doesn’t make sense… doesn’t make sense… need to… no”

Nikki frowned and rested her fingers on the keyboard, staring at the empty boxes for the code in front of her. Sanity’s end went quiet as they tried to find a solution to the problem.

“It’s birthdays.” Seth said quietly “The codes are birthdays, the first one’s Stephanie’s, the second one is Hunter’s” 

“Then the third?” Eric asked from the other side of the phone.

“No clue” Seth sighed and leant back from over the top of Nikki “That’s everyone Hunter loves, Steph and himself... unless… no, nah not now”

“Seth, what’s the unless?” Dean asked, his hand touching Seth’s shoulder gently. Seth looked up, biting his lip "Come on, Seth, we need this"

“Shawn, It has to be his” Seth whispered “22 07 1965” 

He leant over to type it, arms either side of Nikki as he tried to get access to the keyboard. Nikki knocked him away and continued to type, her frown disappearing as the program began to load.

The computer screen went black, the program loaded.

“Fuck, yer a genius, Sethie!” Nikki said softly.

Slowly the screen lit up, one word in bright white bold font.

‘CONGRATULATIONS’

Nikki frowned and touched the keyboard. The word was replaced by four more words.

‘HAIL TO THE KING’

Seth immediately grabbed the laptop from Nikki and tossed it across the room, the device smashing into the opposite wall. He was immediately on his feet, skittering upstairs to leave Dean and Nikki alone and confused. Dean was just about to talk when Finn came flying downstairs. He hunched down over he laptop. He picked it up and headed outside to throw it in the back garden. Roman and Seth were a moment behind as they came down to the floor.

“Clear!” Finn called loudly.

The laptop ripped itself to pieces, a small explosion sending parts flying into the air. 

“What the fuck was that about?” Nikki asked, sitting up. Seth turned.

“We’re moving safe houses, Dean get your shit and mine, Roman, call Becky, no call Charlotte” Seth’s brain looked like it was going a mile a minute as he spun in a slow circle “Finn, can you grab your stuff and Roman’s weapons please?”

“On it!” Finn answered, dashing upstairs. Dean sat staring at Seth who stared back at him.

“Dean! Move!”

*

The new safe house was more Dean’s speed. It was small and in the part of town he was far more familiar with. It was 10 minutes from Kevin and Sami’s place, not that it mattered because he wasn’t allowed to leave the house.

The program, Kilian explained over the phone as he, Eric and Alexander moved from their apartment to a Fatale approved safe house, was basically spyware that alerted Hunter to exactly where they were. He called it his fail safe protocol, something that was only activated on his most important files. Important files that they no longer had. 

Dean sank back on the bed in the room he was sharing with the boys. Bunkbeds. Fucking bunkbeds. He had to stifle his laughter as Seth argued with Roman for bottom bunk. He leaned over the side to watch, Finn clearly doing the same in the bunk below him.

“I move around in my sleep” Seth argued, folding his arms in front of him.

“I’m aware, but I also outweigh you by… how much?” Roman raised an eyebrow, staring at his friend with the smallest trace of a smile.

“48 pounds if yer wondering, and he’s is also the clumsiest bastard around so maybe we should keep him close to the floor, yeah Seth?” Finn suggested with a smile.

Seth sorted huffily and threw his stuff up onto the top bunk. Roman let out a sigh of relief and sunk down onto his bed. Dean shrugged and lay back. It was going to be a long day. Seth had pretty much turned off every light and shut every curtain and blinds in the house. The bedroom was only being dimly lit by everyone’s phones.

It felt like he was at a sleepover as a teenager. He wasn’t invited to many sleepovers. 

“This fucking sucks” Seth observed from the other side of the room.

“You technically caused it” Roman answered lowly. Dean shifted in the bed and rolled back onto his side. Roman was laying back on his mattress, a smile plastered on his face. He raised his eyebrows as he made eye-contact with Dean “Well, your little USB did anyway”

“Where did you find that thing?” Finn asked from under Dean, the bed creaking as he moved “Like, it’s Hunter’s shite anyway”

“One of Dean’s contacts dropped it off, thought it might be useful, it was until it… wasn’t”

It was the same lie Seth had told Becky, who had only half believed him judging by the look she gave Dean. She was probably going to go through every person Dean knew that was known to work with Hunter to work out exactly who gave it to him. With any luck she wouldn’t actually have time considering they were approaching the final phase of the job. 

“I’m dead, we just gonna sleep until we need to head?” Roman asked, stretching an arm in the air. His fingers traced down his own tattoo in an impossibly distracting way. Dean swallowed.

“Yeah, Becks wants us to meet at 8am so we can do a run through of the Hunter job at her new training place”

“Sounds like hell” Roman muttered and stripped off his shirt. Dean made a noise and slammed his face into the pillow so hard he thought he would see Finn staring at him when he opened his eyes. Thankfully, Roman didn’t seem to notice the noise “Get as much sleep as you can”

“No rest fer the wicked” Finn sighed.

He settled back for a fitful sleep. He didn’t have Scout to curl up beside him and he was above asking for Roman to budge up so he could have someone beside him while he hardly slept. So he stared at the ceiling just above him. It was far removed from the comfy beds of the old safe house, but the whole vibe was much more appropriate. 

His phone was on charge at the foot of the bed and his cable wasn’t long enough to reach up to the top bunk so there was no chance of tetris-ing his way through the night so he resorted to listening to the people around him as they slept. He didn’t mean it in a creepy way, it was just the easiest thing to do. 

Finn slept like a rock. The bed didn’t creak once the whole time he slept. He wasn’t even sure that Finn breathed while he was under because no matter how hard Dean listened, there was no sound. Where Finn was perfectly quiet, Roman snored slightly. He snored in a quiet endearing way, soft huffs of breath that made the lock of hair down the centre of his face blow upwards in the dim light. He slept on his back, like a big unmoving rock. 

Seth tossed and turned endlessly. He made noises, he kicked his legs against the wall. He was constantly in movement. It wasn’t until he rolled onto his side and stared at Dean from across the room that he realised he was actually awake.

“You good?” Dean asked quietly, moving closer to the edge of the bed to prop his head up on the wood of the rail. Seth shook his head and edged closer to his railing, a hand coming up to rest on the wood “Wanna talk? Finn and Roman are out for the count”

Seth seemed to think about it for a second, his eyes darting to the space below Dean’s bed occupied by Finn.

“Can’t sleep”

“Clearly, wanna elaborate?” Dean asked before sitting up in the bed which creaked annoyingly below him. Seth’s eyes locked back onto Finn before he did the same thing. He leant forward on the wood, his arms dangling into the void of nothingness between them.

“This whole thing, Hunter, It just… makes me feel nervous” He admitted quietly. Dean felt his brows shoot up. He would have sworn that Seth didn’t have the ability to be nervous in any way shape or form.

“Hey, come on, remember, I’m your backup, you don’t have to be nervous” Dean tried his best to give Seth a comforting smile.

When Seth didn’t look anything near hopeful, Dean carefully got down from his bed. The ladder hardly creaked as he tried to spread his weight evenly across the bars. He crept across the room to scamper up Seth’s ladder. Seth placed a hand on his wrist and pulled him up onto the bed with a questioning look.

“What?” Dean asked with a quiet laugh “I can’t sleep, you can’t sleep, and we might as well be together and awake, right?”

Seth nodded his head and budged into the side against the wall to let Dean scoot next to him. Dean slung an arm around Seth’s shoulders, drawing him tight against his side.

“Thank you” Seth mumbled quietly, his head leaning back on Dean’s shoulder “I try not to think about him or Steph too much, because they were… they were my family for a good while and thinking about hurting them makes me scared”

“But them comin’ after you probably makes you more scared?”

“Right, it’s like if you and Regal were arch enemies” 

“Ah, I could take him” Dean said, exhaling a derisive snort. Seth elbowed him in the ribs, making him flinch with a quiet groan “Fine, maybe not”

Seth smiled. Dean couldn’t take his eyes off that endearing little gap between his front two teeth. Dean reached a hand over to brush Seth’s hair from his face, tucking a strand behind his ear. For a second, he was pretty sure he was going to lean in to kiss him before Seth broke the magic.

“We should try and sleep, right?”

Dean cursed himself internally. He was sleep deprived and thankful that Seth wasn’t as delirious as he was.

“Yeah, come on”

Dean worked his way down and Seth curled up beside him, his head resting against Dean’s chest. 

Maybe it was the extra warmth beside him or maybe it was the rhythmic pattern of Seth’s breathing, either way, Dean managed to relax with Seth holding onto him.

There was something to it. Laying with someone in the same bed, even if you were crushed up together and fighting for space, was nice. Seth was warm and comforting, he smelt of coffee and something that Dean couldn’t name. It was sweet, almost like fake watermelon or strawberry, and Dean couldn’t help but bury his face into his hair. Seth made a soft noise and dropped an arm over Dean’s stomach.

He fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Just a little update on everything, but first of all I want to say thank you so much for all the kudos and comments. I get so overwhelmed when people seem to enjoy my little dumb passion project.  
> Anyway! I've almost finished this story and I've been thinking about more frequent uploads (Wednesday and Saturday instead of just Wednesdays weekly!), however, I've had a family emergency so I don't know if/when the uploads will kick in.  
> Thank you so much for everything and being so understanding!


	20. Interlude

“Dean, Seth, come on, wake up”

“Mmmmfh fuck off” Dean mumbled

“Come on guys!”

“Don’ wanna get up” Seth grumbled softly against Dean’s chest as he pressed his face into the soft material of Dean’s shirt.

“Ambrose, Rollins, I’m gonna drag both your asses out of the bed if you don’t move”

Dean opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the annoyingly bright lighting. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes as he came to his senses. Roman was leaning his arms on the mattress at the gap for the ladder, staring at Seth and Dean’s forms with raised eyebrows.

“Moving” Seth mumbled, crawling over Dean and kicking his legs over the wooden side and edged forward. He dropped off the bed, landing on the floor with a light thud.  
Dean took the ladder.

It would be another thing they wouldn’t discuss. Sharing a bed, curling around each other, none of it would need to be discussed. Seth was tired, Dean was tired, it made sense. It was practical, Dean theorised as he dragged himself to his bag to try to find his hoodie. He tugged it on as Seth groggily pushed past him and out into the hall.

Roman’s hand touched his back lightly.

“Hey, you and Seth sharing beds now?”

“Neither of us could sleep” Dean grumbled, bending down to tie his lace. He looked up to meet Roman’s gaze, the other man staring at him as if he was searching for something “Can’t sleep, dogpile until you can”

Roman hummed his approval and drew his hand away from Dean’s shoulder, turning to wake up the still sleeping Finn.

“You got 20 minutes!”

*

Charlotte was healing well.

Dean could tell because she was kicking the ever-loving shit out of a punching bag when they walked into the gym. Her jaw was set as she slammed fist after fist against it, her breathing heavy. The black eye she was sporting was pretty impressive still, a bright blue that she’d been covering with makeup when she wasn’t at the gym. It made Dean’s bruised nose-bridge look pretty inconsequential in comparison which probably attested to Candice’s strength and Seth going soft on him. 

“Jesus, Char, last time I saw you punch that hard was when I got held up by that Security guy in Walmart” Dean commented as he approached. The blonde woman lifted her head, a small smile on her face as she steadied the punching bag in front of her with one hand.

“Aka the only time you didn’t steal anything from a store” Charlotte laughed and turned around, her breathing slowly returning to normal “Becks is in the office, she’s got a whole thing planned out for you, trust me… it's heavy”

“Jesus its 8 am!” Roman groaned and rubbed his forehead. Dean couldn’t help but share his sentiment, giving Charlotte a pained look.

“If it sweetens the deal, Nikki and her friends are around”

“Sanity is here?” Dean asked excitedly. Charlotte nodded and reached for her water bottle to take a swig.

“C’mon, I’ll show you up”

Becky and Charlotte’s headquarters for the Fatale’s was a pretty large but nondescript gym. So nondescript that Dean had been sure he’d had the wrong address when he’d found them the first time. It didn’t have that Charlotte… flair and it was nowhere near the level of functionality he’d have expected from Becky. It was perfectly normal. Thankfully, the upper floor was more suitable for the Fatales’ leaders.

Becky and Charlotte’s office was busy, filled with mementoes from their past jobs and souvenirs from trips together. There were pictures on the desks and pinned up with magnets on the filing cabinets, Charlotte and Becky mostly, but some of them with Ric, at events and galas where they were dressed to the nines and smiling wide white smiles. And there were the older photos blown up to dramatic proportions on the walls. They were the important ones.

Dean and Becky grinning at the camera as they were dragged away from by cops, throwing up peace signs. Dean and Charlotte mid-laugh on Dean’s bed at Regal’s, piles of candy between them. Charlotte, Becky and Dean posing together in front of the fountain. Dean was wearing a suit in that one, it had been Charlotte’s prom or something and he and Becky were her plus ones because well, anything was possible when your dad was Ric Flair.

And there was his favourite, hung up right behind Charlotte’s desk.

It was taken at one of Ric’s parties, before… before everything. It had to have been early on. A good 11 years prior. A 16-year-old Dean, Charlotte and Becky were at the forefront, the three of them dissolving into laughter at the camera. They were all dressed up, Charlotte in a stunning silver dress that seemed to glow even in the photo, clearly trying to maintain composure, and Becky in a black and white striped crop top and matching trousers, buckling over with laughter. Dean was wearing a shirt with a stupid blue tie with spots and the leather jacket, his favourite leather jacket that Charlotte had given him, slung over the top. He was mid-middle finger. Even now he found it to be one of his greatest achievements.

Behind them, Regal, Ric and Steve, their grins were frozen in time as they held onto their mentee’s shoulders with pride. Lita and Trish were on Dean’s side of the photograph, arms around each other as they squeezed in against Regal. Becky’s side was more interesting.

Hunter, Stephanie and Shawn together. On this photo though, Stephanie and Hunter had been scribbled out by a big black marker. Becky’s handiwork. He only knew it was Hunter and Stephanie because he remembered the night it was taken.

And there was the figure he couldn’t remember, blacked out on the side of the shape that had to be Stephanie’s. He’d blacked out so much in his life. But now he could finally put a name to the dark shape.

Seth.

*

“This feckin’ sucks” Becky mutters as Charlotte propels them out of kitchen past scurrying staff “I don’ see why yer da’ wants to take a big photo of us, ‘specially Deano, he’s a mess”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I’m the most photogenic of us all” Dean grumbles, earning him a laugh from Becky. Charlotte sighs and stops, turning Dean to face her. She flattens his hair down and fixes his tie, tutting like a mother hen “Char, it’s only a photograph for your dad, it’s not a big deal”

“It’s a huge deal”

She’d been on edge the whole night, tutting and humming over Becky like she can’t relax for one second. She’d been extra protective of Dean too, spiriting him away to the kitchen before he could cause any trouble and practically forcing him to eat something substantial. That was where one of the servers had found them to tell them that Ric wanted them for some photo opportunity.

“Yeah, but why? Come on, Char, you’ve been keepin’ us both in the dark about tonight cause Austin sure as hell won’t tell me and I doubt Regal’s told Dean cause-“

“-Regal doesn’t tell him anything” Charlotte finishes and brushes Dean’s jacket. She takes a step back and casts a critical eye over the pair of them, the troublemaking duo dropping their eyes like they’d don’t something wrong – even when this time the hadn’t. She finally nods “Let’s go, I’ll tell you about it as we walk”

Dean’s only half listening as he grabs a flute of champagne from a server as they walked past. Charlotte’s talking with her hands again, her voice low so that nobody around them can hear her as she explains the purpose of the night.

“-Pet project, meant to embarrass Regal and Austin”

“Regal?” Dean asks and darts his head up. Charlotte groans.

“Hunter’s got his own weird little version of you and me in his pocket” Becky grins and rolls her eyes “He’s ‘jus’ visiting’ says Ric but we all know Hunter always wanted us fer his own, remember how he kept on at Char last time?”

Charlotte pulled a face “I probably would have if Stephanie had asked me but he… I don’t know, I feel like he wants to turn a kid into his own private weapon”

“You’re kiddin’ me, Char, haven't you realised that we’re all some old guy’s private weapon whether we like it or not” Dean smiles as he raises the glass to his lips to take a sip of his champagne. Charlotte plucks it from his hand and places it on another tray, pursing her lips together “Char, please-“

“No, I’m not having your dad hounding us all night for letting you drink”

“He’s not my-“

If looks could kill, Dean would be dead a million times over from the look Charlotte shoots him. She grabs him by his shoulder and marches him out of the hallway into the main room. He can see Regal drinking with Ric and Hunter by the fireplace, deep in conversation. He can’t see Steve Austin or Shawn anywhere but he’s pretty sure that they’ll be shotgunning beers in the garden away from disapproving looks.

He likes Steve because he’s not like Regal with his stiff attitude, he’s free and has an energy about him that Dean can’t describe. He’s almost jealous of the fact that Becky gets to spend so much time with him. He’s actually pretty surprised that Steve gets invited to these sorts of events anyway, it’s probably a glimpse into the future where Charlotte and Becky would throw huge, fancy parties and Dean would bring corner store beer to drink. Regal doesn’t even treat him any differently from how he treats Ric, Hunter or Shawn, he’s just another of the group. The problem child, but one of them none the less.

“Charlotte! Becky! Dean!” Ric calls, motioning for the three of them to join the men by the fire. Charlotte lets go of Dean and they approach as a group, Becky’s arm slipping around her girlfriend’s waist. Dean draws closer to Charlotte letting her lead the way to her father.

“Dad! We were just-“

“Drinking?” A voice behind them asks and Becky whips her head around to face a young man with dark curly hair drawn up in a bun at the nape of his neck. Regal frowns, pressing his lips together.

“Ah yes, meet Hunter’s-“

“I’m Seth, Seth Rollins” He sticks out his hand expecting one of them to shake it. Becky and Dean share a look, eyes flickering between Charlotte and the boy in front of them.

Charlotte is the first to shake his hand, looking him over with the perfect scrutiny of a Flair. It’s almost like looking Ric in the face for the first time.

“Charlotte Flair”

“Becky Lynch”

 

“Protégé of Steve Austin” Hunter notes behind them as Becky takes his hand to shake it. There’s a smile on Seth’s face that waivers for a second and it’s satisfying to know that being Austin’s kid makes Becky feared. 

Seth turns towards Dean, his eyebrows raised as he looks him over.

“Dean Ambrose” He grumbles before Hunter can jump in and give him a biography. He jerked a thumb towards Regal with an eye roll “That’s my guardian back there, I know, I know, he doesn’t seem like the father type and you’d be right-“

“Dean!” Regal barks and Dean shuts up. He drops Seth’s hand and swallows like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't. 

Regal hooks a finger under the back of his shirt and pulls him back like a child to stand beside him, and Dean bites back a swear. He hates this part of parties, the being treated like a child. He was the only one who was technically accompanying someone aside from Seth. Becky and Charlotte could come and go as they pleased but Dean was stuck with William Regal until hell froze over. 

There’s an odd tension but thankfully Shawn and Steve appear, corralled by an exasperated Stephanie, to break it. They’ve both been drinking. 

“There’s my girl!” Steve grins, approaching Becky to pull her into a quick hug “Shawn, do you know that Becky can take a target out in the dark from the next building over? Prodigy, she’s a fuckin’ prodigy! I hardly had to tell her what to do”

Becky tries to suppress her smile but it doesn’t work. She grins. Dean wonders what it’s like for a mentor to care about you publicly. He’s not done anything interesting recently apart from beat his record for getting into trouble.

Oddly, for once, he doesn’t need to keep wondering.

“Ah, you’re not the only one with a little prodigy, Steve, my Dean’s came on leaps and bounds since the papers went through, he can pick a lock faster than I can” Regal smiles and Dean feels a swell of pride. He meets Charlotte’s eyes. She’s suppressing a grin.

“The papers went through? You’re like officially adopted? He’s your da-“ Dean shoots her his own version of if looks could kill and she cuts herself off “I mean, congratulations, Mr Regal, I’m sure Dean will be an asset to you”

“There’s that Flair charm” Hunter laughs “See what you have to live up to, Seth? I told you they were good”

Rollins dips his head, the smile dropping off his face at his mentor’s words. Dean almost feels bad, like he should stick up for him, but Ric claps his hands.

“Hunter, leave the boy alone, tonight is a celebration, right? Don’t suck all the fun out!” He says cheerily “Besides, it’s the first night we’ve all been together in a long time, we’ve got the picture to take after all”

That was true. Dean’s only been at a handful of parties and Hunter’s been at even less. Regal had mentioned how withdrawn he’d become over the past few months in passing to Dean one morning as he had peered at the newspaper headline. Maybe this kid would solve all his problems, maybe he was just getting too bored with just Stephanie and Shawn to keep him company.

Ric hurries them all out into the main hall and sets about arranging them in front of the staircase. Dean snags another drink on the way there and this time it’s Regal who takes it from him and tuts. He pushes past them to find a server, leaving the kids with the others.

“Sucks to suck, Deano” Becky grins as she reaches behind Charlotte to hit him over the back of the head. Dean sticks his tongue out at her.

Hunter and Stephanie attach themselves at Becky’s hip and Seth follows, squeezing in beside her. Becky steps even closer to Charlotte, an arm slinging itself around Charlotte’s waist protectively. Shawn and Steve push in behind Becky and Charlotte, Steve ruffling the girls’ hair as he passes.

“So, I hate this” Dean grumbles “Charlotte please tell me you still have that bottle of… you know… in your room”

“Ambrose you better not be drinking” Austin laughs from behind him.

“No, sir! I’ve never touched a drop of alcohol in my life”

“He’s never even had water!” Becky adds with a laugh “It’s actually kinda weird... he's a little dehydrated actually, crusty even”

“No liquids have ever passed these lips” Dean promises. Steve rolls his eyes good-naturedly “I’m absolutely fuckin’ parched, sir” 

“I believe you, millions wouldn’t, kiddo”

Regal returns with Lita and Trish and the three of them find their places beside Dean, Trish insisting on fussing over Dean’s hair until it sits nicely. Hunter and Stephanie talk quietly amongst themselves, ignoring Seth who shifts uncomfortably in place. Ric returns, one of his staff following him with a camera raised high. Ric finds his place behind Charlotte and Regal’s hand lands on Dean’s shoulder.

“After 3, smile!” The girl holding the camera chirps “1… 2… 3!”

Dean’s middle finger goes up and Becky practically buckles over. Charlotte’s looks like she’s about to die of laughter.

Immortalised.

Ric makes them take another and Dean gets blackout drunk on stolen whiskey.

*

The picture stared down at him as he listened to Becky explain her plan for training. It was disconcerting for him and probably even more for Seth considering he was the one blacked out with a chunky sharpie.

Judging by Seth’s expression, he was uncomfortable. He kept shifting and staring at it pointedly. It probably wasn’t meant as a personal slight, after all, Becky had done it so that Hunter and Stephanie weren’t there without cutting Shawn out with them. Seth had been… just another nameless face to her. The same way he had been to him. He didn’t look like the kid Dean remembered, hell even the gutsy ‘Tyler’ who'd run from Hunter for a night had more spark to him than Seth ever had. 

Becky had her legs kicked up on her desk as she gestured into the air in front of her, outlining her plans for the night’s events. Nikki had taken up residence on Killian’s back her head poking over his shoulder, looking like she’d only just woke up and was still in a daze. Out of all of Sanity, it was Alexander who seemed to be listening to Becky, his eyes following her hands with a quiet determination. Dean was familiar with that look, analytical in a way that he couldn’t quite understand. It was Sanity, after all, and Dean was only faintly aware of Nikki’s mental processes never mind anyone else’s.

“We’re gonna have Nikki and the lads watching cameras and providing you all the information yer gonna need” Becky gave a general nod in Nikki’s direction before straightening up in her chair “Then we’re gonna have Finn getting us in and workin’ with us”

“Blowin’ the feckin’ doors off” Finn cut in with a grin. He seemed excited. It made Dean remember that it was, of course, the job of a lifetime for him, all his stuff in Japan was sort of an overture. Everything he did with Cerberus all led up to this job. Becky tried to give him a stern look and his grin dropped to a suppressed smile. He held up his hands in an apologetic gesture “Or… sorta blowin’ the doors off, I’ll be careful”

Becky nodded her approval and sat up, kicking her feet off of the desk. Charlotte dropped a stack of hastily stapled together booklets onto the desk with a thud.

“Here’s your floorplans, boys and girls, get reading!” Charlotte began to hand them out as she took over the explanation from Becky. She passed one to Dean who scanned over the first page. Simple looking plan of the main lobby, easy stuff. Seth’s face dropped as he studied each page individually. He was actually trying to commit every page to memory. Dean rolled his eyes and flipped the booklet closed. Charlotte fixed him with a deadly glare “Dean, we actually do really need these memorised because Sanity cannot be on every camera at once!”

“Relax, Char, I’ll get it down when it needs to be down”

Eric hummed his approval, his eyes darting from page to page as he flipped through. He paused frowning at the paper.

“This is missing a room” He looked up with a confused look “Killian, Alexander, do you see it?”

Alexander and Killian peered over Eric’s shoulders in unison, a crease of worry forming between their own brows as he examined the basement floorplan.

“Yeah, I see it” Killian tapped the page with a frown “Yer missing… the uh… Dean-“

Dean looked down at the paper before swallowing sharply. A pang of nerves jolted their way through his body.

“What Killian’s sayin’ is, you’re missing the torture chamber!” He said brightly, trying to hide his anxiety underneath a grim cheeriness “I crawled my way out of that hell and frankly, Charlotte, I am insulted you didn’t include that”

Charlotte grimaced and placed her copy down, reaching for one of the pens on Becky’s desk. Under Eric’s instruction, she drew it in and labelled it quite simply as ‘BAD’. Dean felt ill just thinking about being in proximity to the thing. Roman’s hand came up to rub Dean’s back as though he could feel the radiating anxiety that was pumping through Dean’s blood. Despite himself, he relaxed against Roman and let him tuck him under his arm. Becky offered him a raised eyebrow but didn’t say a word.

“So, now we’ve got that taken care of, it’ll be Roman, Seth and Dean on the team going in the back way after Hunter, while Me, Char and Finn take floor by floor and find Steph, Sanity should be takin’ out each floor’s security out as we go” Becky noted, her gesturing dividing them into groups “Then when we get out, Finn’s got the job o’ toppling the building without making too much of a mess”

“Nice” Finn grinned and turned his booklet over in his hands “I got a good idea of what we need from this but I need t’ see the place in person before the night so I can get the right charges”

Becky scribbled a note down on a notepad “We can arrange that” She ripped the paper and threw it into her tray “It’s basically in-out stuff, nothin’ dramatic but I do want to see you run some drills as a team”

“Can do, boss” Eric said, passing his booklet to Alexander before pulling a USB from his pocket “When d’we start?”

Becky tilted her head to the side, looking at the man with a small smile “Now”

*

“Dean, I said get down!” Roman barked, causing Dean to throw himself flat against the ground. The bright red buzzer in Seth’s hand went off, making him roll his eyes immediately. He was going to take that damn buzzer and smash it off the ground. He was starting to get jealous of Finn getting to drill with Becky and Charlotte. They seemed to be having a good time on the other side of the room while Dean felt like he was suffering. He hoped Nikki was having fun testing her boys upstairs because he sure was living through hell.

“You’re dead” Seth deadpanned.

It was the third time they’d done this, the Dean following simple orders thing. He just couldn’t pick up on what the stupid hand signals that Roman kept doing meant. He turned over onto his back, chest heaving, and offered a middle finger in Seth’s general direction.

“Hey, come on, we can talk about it again”

“We’ve talked about it 3 fuckin’ times, Roman” Dean bit back with a scowl as he sat up. Roman folded his arms, looking at him with a reproachful stare that made Dean’s insides twist. He softened slightly, leaning back on his hands with a pout “It’s just not happening, okay, I just… brain dumb, Dean dumb”

Roman sighed and reached out for Dean’s hand hauling him to his feet.

“That’s not true, babe, it’s our fault for forgetting you’re new to all this” Roman murmured quietly, his hand squeezing Dean’s tightly “Let’s try it again, all of us”

Dean nodded, smiling slightly. If there was one thing that Roman couldn’t be faulted for, it was his patience for Dean’s impossible to handle quirks. While Seth grumbled and groaned every time he got something remotely wrong, Roman was willing to try again and make it different.

Not that Seth wasn’t trying, Dean reminded himself, because he was. His smile came easy when Dean got something right and while he might have seemed like he was in a mood with Dean when he got something wrong, he was just frustrated because when it came down to it, a drill like this could be life and death.  
“Trick is-“ Seth said as he jogged over to join them “To watch me and not Roman”

“Hey!”

“Not to sound self-centred but I’m the one who’s thinking 5 steps ahead at all times, I got this”

Dean nodded. It made sense. Watch Seth.

He was more observant the next time, his eyes dancing between Seth and Roman as they made laps of the room, the three of them occasionally diving to throw themselves against the ground. Dean managed to roll out of it same as Seth, the man offering him a sly smirk before holding a hand out to Roman.

“C’mon big guy, one mistake and you die” Dean teased. Seth almost let go of Roman’s hand as he hauled him to his feet, stifling his laughter against his shoulder.

“Thanks for the reminder, I almost forgot” Roman groaned as he straightened up “If I go down you both can both leave me there for a nap”

Dean laughed quietly but the feeling in his stomach reminded him that he didn’t want Roman to go down. If Roman went down, Dean wasn’t sure if he and Seth could do it alone. Seth was the only one willing to kill out of them and even then, Dean wasn’t sure if he could let Seth kill. It was a dilemma for another time, he decided, before turning back into the conversation happening around him. 

Roman and Seth moved onto the next drill, then the next, putting Dean through his paces. It was nice to feel his muscles genuinely burning with effort again. It kept his mind off of the bigger more terrifying issues that were better kept for late night panics.

Dean collapsed onto the floor, chest heaving with a comfortable tightness. Seth kicked his side lightly with a laugh and he turned to grab his leg, dragging him over onto the floor beside him. Seth rolled onto his back beside him, his hands resting on his stomach. From the other side of the room, Becky called out a ‘Stop fightin’ ya bunch o’ gobshites”

“Love you too, Becks!” Dean answered.

Night Dean could keep all the anxiety. Right then, Dean was happy.


	21. White Blank Page

Each passing day was more intense than the last. The workouts with Roman and Seth seemed endless and the planning sessions with Becky and Charlotte seemed to happen in every spare space between. It was a lot but it kept Dean’s mind off of everything until he collapsed into bed at night. He hardly got a chance to hang with Nikki and do normal things – not that anything Nikki or Sanity did was normal – and he missed the chance to relax without his brain going straight into panic mode about Hunter.

That’s what the trigger always was, though. Hunter’s presence was almost stifling, his name hanging over them all like heavy clouds. Every time Becky said his name, someone would shift uncomfortably (Usually Dean or Seth) and make intense eye contact with the floor like that would solve all his problems.

From the little updates he got from Nikki, it seemed like Sanity were whipping themselves into a well-oiled machine with Nikki at the helm. Alexander, Eric, and Killian, she relayed to him over the phone, were willing to do just about anything to make the operation a success. It was nice for them to be all together again. Nikki had got to move out from Naomi and Jimmy’s house and into a larger Fatale safe house so she could get to be with Sanity as a group. They were causing havoc together again but in a good way. It made Dean feel good knowing that his best friend, his little crazy sister, was with people who loved her as fiercely and intensely as he did. Knowing they would do anything to protect her kept him happy. After all, he’d been absolutely flattened by Killian when he was play-fighting with them more times than he could count. Eric and Alexander were forces onto their own too, whoever tried to go for Nikki Cross had hell waiting for them.

But it was the fact that in the morning he’d have Seth and Roman waiting for him that got him through most nights of tossing and turning in bed. He couldn’t let them down. Not now.

They forged something of a bond during the intense workouts. Dean took to hand-to-hand combat far faster than Roman or Seth had seemed to expect. He was scrappy. He'd always been scrappy and He’d learned a long time ago to go down swinging with a mouthful of blood. It had reflected in the fights he’d had with Sanity and now it was plain when he was matched up with the power that was Roman or the control of Seth. Dean was reckless and willing to dive into dangerous situations without assessing them first. 

“Nice work, Deano” Roman commented over his shoulder to Dean as he helped Seth to his feet “Although if you’d noticed the fact he had the baton faster you probably could have taken him out far faster”

Dean grinned sheepishly and rubbed his neck. He just hadn’t assumed that Roman would actually let Seth use a weapon on him. If it was Hunter’s security he might have been a little more observant but it had been Seth for crying out loud. But Seth hadn’t gone easy on him so Dean had been forced to up the ante and actually disarm him. He looked down to pull his shirt up, checking for damage before glancing up at Roman and Seth.

“Seems that I’m just a glutton for punishment, babe”

“Kinky” Roman replied flatly.

“That’s my line!” 

The trio dissolved into laughter, drawing the attention of several Fatales. Seth pulled his shirt up over his face to shut himself up, his stupid laugh stifled, leaning on Roman for support. It was then Dean noticed how Roman looked at Seth. Like he’d hung the stars and the moon in place. The look was something Dean found impossible to stop looking at. He swallowed and looked away like he’d seen something he shouldn’t have. 

“You good, baby boy?” Roman asked. His voice was much louder and much closer than Dean had expected. He looked up, practically jumping out of his skin when he realised Roman was right in front of him, staring at him with big concerned eyes. 

“Hm? Oh yeah, fine, just thinkin’”

“Lot of things happening in that head?” He seemed genuinely worried about him. His hand came up to rest on his shoulder and Dean shook it off. Roman immediately retracted as if he’d hurt Dean somehow and drew away “For real though, need 5?”

“Yeah, gonna go talk to Becks” He lied.

Dean did go up to the office floor, but instead of heading to Becky and Charlotte’s sizable office, he looked around before squeezing himself into the janitor’s closet. He fumbled in his pocket for his phone, pulling it out and wiping the screen on the edge of his shirt. He stared down at the home screen. He’d changed it. He’d taken a picture of the ‘prom’ photo and set it to his background. He traced a finger over his own smile before unlocking the phone.

The more time he spent around Becky and Charlotte reminded him that none of them were ever going to get the chance to be normal if they didn’t follow through with everything. He might end up dead at this rate, but at least Becky and Charlotte would have other. They’d been dating for... Dean closed his eyes as he tried to remember if they were dating before he met them. Just, he recalled, they were just together. 12 years. That was forever in terms of people like them. He wondered briefly if Roman and Seth were dating. He’d never asked but they clearly had something special. Would they get to be happy? 

Dean might just throw his body in front of them if it meant that the two of them survived all this. A shocking thought considering Dean would have rather pushed Seth off a very high ledge once upon a time.

Priorities changed.

He pressed on his call button.

“Dean! You, hold on – River, don’t touch that please, that’s daddy’s favourite record collection, leave it and I’ll get it, sweetheart – sorry, hey, man!” Sami’s voice was muffled like he had the phone at his shoulder “Kevin’s busy at the moment if you wanna call back later”

“No, Sami, I wanted to talk to you I just thought… I don’t know, Kevin probably wouldn’t pick up and then I wouldn’t need to talk to you, I guess” Dean sighed and leaned back against one of the shelves “If you’re busy though, it would make my day”

“No, no, we’re just… moving”

“Moving?”

“Yeah, we uh… got approved and got a house, like an actual house? It’s just been so sudden and I haven’t really thought about it all that much”

“Sami! That’s amazing!” Dean straightened up immediately, clutching the phone tightly as a huge grin settled over his face “I’m so happy for you man!”

“She can’t wait to meet her uncle Deano, been telling her all about you, dumbass - Yeah just put them down, honey!” Sami sounded like he was in heaven, the tone of his voice was light and cheery “She really wants to help move everything in, her room’s all ready but she wants to supervise”

“Yeah? Tell her that I can’t wait to meet her!” Dean said without thinking. His brain then attached a painful ‘if you meet her’ which Dean shoved out of his mind as fast as he could “So, anyway I have a question”

“Shoot! Just no weird stuff because I deal with animal issues, not human”

“Damn there goes my question about the weird boil on my-“

“Ambrose, get to the point” Dean could hear the playful smile in Sami’s voice. It was good to hear his voice again.

“What’s love meant to feel like? Like love-love, I know what it’s like to love my friends an’ shit like that but… what’s love feel like? Like proper love?” He asked softly, his voice almost childish.

Dean had plenty of hook-ups in the past. He’d even hooked up with a couple more than once, but he’d never… dated anyone. It wasn’t feelings when all he wanted was to fall into someone for a while and forget why he was as drunk as he was. 

His mom had never been the gold standard for relationships and Regal seemed to avoid them like the plague. Dean was lucky he knew that he was actually bisexual in the grand scheme of things. When he thought about it, Becky and Charlotte, Lita and Trish, and Kevin and Sami were the only healthy relationships he knew. He supposed Sanity too, but that was so much harder to define. 

And there had been Sami Callihan once upon a time. But Dean was sure that was the unrequited sort of love you read about. There was no way Sami had ever thought of them as more than friends and they were just teenagers. That night he had run to Regal for safety had really put a stop to anything that was or could be with them. The world would have been different if he hadn't, he was sure of it. 

“Oh… Dean”

“Sami, don’t ‘oh, Dean’ me, I need to know”

“It’s not something that you can really explain Dean, love is… I don’t know, complicated” Sami trailed off in thought “We’ll start easy: Do you wanna kiss them?”

“Yeah, both of them, like most of the time actually and it kinda hurts? I think?” 

“Both?” Sami questioned briefly. There was that smile all over again “Sorry, I shouldn’t ask, okay so when they smile, do you think the world gets a little brighter?”

“God yeah, it’s like the world lights up, their laughs are so… they sound so good, Sami”

“Do you want to keep them safe?”

“Yeah, hard job but someone’s gotta do it”

Sami was silent for a second as he considered his next question.

“Would you die for them”

“Yes.” He replied bluntly. He would. He would throw his body in front of anything that wanted to hurt them. That fact alone knocked him for a loop.

“Oh... Dean” Sami's tone was soft. Dean swallowed and reached up to tap at his collar bone, nervous tremors coursing through him "You got it bad, man... We're here for you though, whenever you need us"

“Thanks, Sami, I didn’t wanna get in your way with dumb questions but thank you”

“No problem – Kevin! Don’t lift that without me, I’ll be two seconds – Dean, love you but I gotta go stop my fiancé from fucking killing himself with this box”

"Love you too, give Kev and River my love-"

Sami made a noise as if he was going to say something before he swore and the phone call ended.

“Fiancé, huh?” Dean laughed quietly into the void.

Maybe he did love Roman and Seth. Maybe he couldn’t deny it or play it off as being other confusing feelings anymore. Either way, it didn’t matter. It was just nice to talk to Sami.  
Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn. Engaged with a kid. An honest to goodness real kid. God. Kevin who’d gave him a chance when nobody else would. Sami who’d seen Dean at his worst moments and dragged him back from the edge stubbornly. The life he could have led. Uncle Deano would have been a far different man from who he was now. 

Life was leaving Dean Ambrose in the dust.

He rested his head on the shelf behind him, breathing slowly as he considered everything. Being self-isolating and impulsive had landed him in his situation. The year he’d lost after Regal left, the refusal to depend on anyone, the fear of losing anyone else, everything had made him into this creature afraid of intimacy and hiding in the damn janitors closet in his best friend’s gym. 

He’d hide forever if he had to, to crush away any feelings he had left in himself. Maybe he was still too soft for who he had to be to get by.

Maybe he needed to be harsher. The school of hard knocks hadn’t beaten the love out of him yet. Maybe he only needed a few more solid punches.

The door opened suddenly and Dean just about had a heart attack. Seth, outlined with a soft halo of light from the hallway behind him, peered into the dark at him.

“Oh, there you are! You weren’t with Becky and she said you were probably… Dean? You okay?” 

“Yeah, fine” His voice came out dull and robotic “Has it been 5 minutes?”

“15, are you okay, Dean?”

“Better get back so we can keep going” Dean pushed off of the shelves and shouldered past Seth, his fingers tapping against his thigh as he fought to keep himself steady.

“Dean are you sure-“

“Yes”

Anything to keep his attention. Anything to stop him thinking.

*

Knowing he was in love made things a lot harder. Dean kept himself quiet, gritting his teeth as he took every punch Roman or Seth threw at him without moving. If they hit him hard enough then maybe he’d forget about being in love. Maybe then he could stop thinking about how perfect Roman looked when he smiled or Seth’s laugh being almost intoxicating.

“Stop pulling your fucking punches” Dean growled lowly as Seth caught him in the ribs with a painful sting. He went to retaliate when Seth swept his legs out from under him and took him down to the ground. The mat under him protected him too much. He couldn’t feel the actual sting of the hard floor, just a dull thud that reminded him he wasn’t meant to get hurt. 

“Stop,” Seth said, stepping back from Dean’s prone form, holding up his hands “I’m not doing this right now, I’m not here to beat the shit out of you Dean”

“What’s up?” Roman asked. He’d been taking a break on the sidelines, watching with interest as Seth and Dean sparred. Dean rolled onto his back and peered up at him. 

“Seth’s not listening to me”

“Dean wants me to actually hurt him, seriously hurt him”

Roman looked between the pair of them, a worried look on his face as he crouched down beside Dean.

“We gotta stop, okay? Seth isn't going to kick your ass just because you ask, babe”

“No. No, we don’t.”

“Yes, we do”

When Dean didn’t respond, Roman sighed and straightened up. He caught Seth around the shoulders.

“Shower then we’ll get him” He said quietly, attempting to keep his voice low so Dean couldn’t hear him. It didn’t inspire any particular pressing need in Dean regardless so he lay and stared up at the plain white ceiling.

Nobody bothered him. He felt like he was floating far above his body, only half attached as he fought off the urge to slam his fist against something hard. If this was how he coped with feeling things now, what would happen to him when he got out of all this? Was this… was this how Hunter felt?

Dean swallowed. He could feel himself sinking. He didn’t like to think about parallels, but he could see a little of himself in the so-called Game. He could see himself driving people away in the same way Hunter did. Stephanie stayed because she had to. She was all he had left after Shawn had left him to become the twisted man he was now. She loved him with everything in her, the monster they all had a hand in creating was hers alone to adore despite his monstrosity. Regal had handed him what was effectively the keys to the city. Shawn and Stephanie had given him their whole hearts. The kind of power Hunter sought out was addictive.

Did Becky and Charlotte know how close they all were to becoming just like them? Could they feel the scales tipping now the same way that the old guard had 9 years ago? He didn’t want to be that kind of person. The idea of destroying those around him to make himself feel perfect was a concept Dean didn’t want to explore. The idea of abandoning everyone he cared about was too painful to imagine.

When Regal left, everything around him had crumbled and he’d been left in the ruins of the mansion Regal once owned, haunting the corridors like a trapped spirit. He didn’t have anyone, just the house he’d once shared. He couldn’t get a hold of Charlotte or Becky for fear of them being in on Hunter’s conspiracy, so he just… hid and rotted. Until the money and the alcohol in Regal’s place ran out and he needed to get a job.

The collapse of Hunter’s friendships had left no one unscathed, just hollowed shells of people trying to patch together lives. Lucky people like Charlotte and Becky would always get out with each other. But Dean had to stew in his own mess for a long time before he could drag himself out. When… no, if, if that happened to them, would it be as vicious? 

Would people like Nikki and Sanity or new Fatales like Bayley be left alone in the ashes?

He didn’t notice Seth hauling him to his feet and walking him out of the gym and into the car. He didn’t notice Roman sitting with him in the back, letting him lean his head on his shoulder as he gazed off in a haze. He only knew the moment he was aware of everything going on around him was when Roman was trying to get his shirt off him.

“Come on, Dean, work with me” Roman sighed as he pulled the hem of the shirt up, a pained expression on his face.

“I’ll get it” Dean muttered quietly, tugging away from him.

“Dean!”

“Shh, don’t be so loud, my brain hurts” Dean mumbled as he tugged his shirt up and off him. The air was cool against his clammy skin. He dropped the shirt on the floor with a frown as he tried to kick his brain into gear “What are you doing?”

“Trying to get you into bed, babe”

“Oh. I don’t… want to do that… I don’t feel great” Dean blinked in confusion. 

“Not in that way, Deano, sweetheart, just trying to get you to lie down for an hour” Roman replied quietly, a slight smile on his face as he talked “Seth says it’ll help, he’s just grabbing you water”

“Okay” Dean mumbled softly. Roman’s hands guided him to lie back. He was surrounded by the smell of Roman and softness. He was in his bed, he realised with a small start. The bed shifted as Roman sat on the edge.

“We were really worried, by the way, babe” Roman kept his voice quiet as he stroked Dean’s hair. Dean lent into his hand, feeling the fingertips brush his scalp softly “We were gonna take you to hospital with all those one-word responses you were giving us, it was all monotone in the car”

“Don’t… remember much, if I’m honest”

“No, no… Nikki said you probably wouldn’t” Roman sighed slightly “We called her because we thought she would know, she said you get like this when you’re really stressed or something’s got you freaked out… I guess we want to know how we can help”

Dean closed his eyes. 

The idea of a ‘we’ was a concept that Dean couldn’t entirely understand. Why would they care so much about Dean’s well being? Especially when it was his own damn problem to deal with his annoying quirks.

“Okay, okay, we’ll let you get your beauty sleep” Roman laughed quietly to himself as he brushed hair out of Dean’s face “We’re in the living room if you need us, Seth will drop your water in but you don’t need to talk to him if you don’t want to”

Dean nodded and the bed shifted as Roman got up and left. Seth was almost soundless as he left the water on the floor beside him. Almost.

“Hey, Deano… Roman said you don’t need to talk to us if you don’t want to… but,” Seth’s hand brushed his and gave it a quick squeeze before he dropped it “I just want you to know that I’m really glad you’re okay”

Dean rolled onto his side, pressing his face close to the wall as a warm feeling found a home in his chest. Seth sighed and left. 

“Thank you” Dean mumbled to the empty air. The empty air didn’t answer him.


	22. Bring It On Home

Life went on. Life always went on, with or without Dean.

Roman and Seth were gentler in training. Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, Dean had yet to decide. He wanted to hurt and feel like he was doing something productive, but he couldn’t get the right burn in his muscles so he resigned himself to just throwing himself into workouts on his own without them. Not that he got time on his own much. Everyone seemed on high alert with Dean, watching for the thing that was going to tip him over the edge.

He wasn’t going to crack. He wasn’t going to give any of them the satisfaction of seeing him ruined again.

Roman must have told Becky about what had happened, he had to have because Becky had told him to relax. Becky Lynch told him to relax. The same Becky Lynch who’d gotten the ‘most likely to kill a man’ in her yearbook (It was the only accurate yearbook ‘most likely’ Dean had ever seen. He didn’t even make it to the yearbook stage but it had been fun looking through Becky and Charlottes when they got them). It would have been laughable if the order to relax hadn’t come with the permission to go see Kevin and Sami.

Their new house was an entirely normal looking house. It was very white-picket fence, with a bright blue door adding a splash of colour to the exterior. It was like Sami’s dream for his perfect life had finally become a reality. He could imagine the kid… River, he couldn’t call her ‘that kid’ anymore, out in the garden playing. The neighbourhood was full of what looked like young families. It was perfect.

The doorbell had the most obnoxious chime and Dean smiled to himself.

“Hey- Ambrose! What are you doing here?” Kevin asked with a slight suspicious edge to his voice, scratching his beard as he looked up and down the street “Actually, how did you get our new address?”

“Who do you think?” Dean asked with a small smile. Kevin immediately dropped the suspicion with a small laugh.

“He can’t keep anything a secret, I was gonna invite you once we got this all together, y'know?” Kevin grumbled and pushed open the door a little for Dean to slip inside. The hall was still chock full of boxes, stacked haphazardly in patterns that Dean couldn’t entirely decipher. He wasn’t even sure if the box labelled kitchen actually said kitchen. It was very much Kevin’s handiwork “He’s at work anyway, and Riv’s at school, I took the day off so I can finish off getting the living room unpacked”

Kevin led him down the hall towards a room decorated with sunny yellow paint. He was ushered towards the couch, still the same black one that Dean had slept on multiple times only now it was decorated with throw cushions with bright interesting patterns. It was clearly a Sami choice. Actually, the whole room looked like Sami in a way. He could imagine it filled with life, just like him. 

“Have a seat, want anything to drink?” Kevin asked.

“Nah, I’m just dropping in for a bit, I was actually hoping to meet River, I just…”

“Forgot she’d be at school?” Kevin suggested as he dropped down onto the couch next to Dean, melting back into the furniture like he was part of it “She’s just started at the one we picked out, you know how hard it is to find a good school that doesn’t take money from Hunter?”

“Real hard?”

“Correct, I went through like 7 of the best schools in the whole city, he funds like 4 of them and Stephanie funds 2” He folded his arms with a frown “River’s in the only damn one that neither of them funds”

“How close were you to homeschoolin’ her?” Dean asked with a small smile. Kevin closed his eyes and pulled a face.

“So close”

“Why didn’t you just do it? You know you’d be just as good”

“We wanna get her in with kids her own age, we talked about it, it’s best for her y’know?”

Dean nodded along as Kevin talked. Clearly both he and Sami had put a lot of thought into the decision. He couldn’t help but hope that River knew how much Kevin and Sami would do for her. It was insane how far they would go to keep her safe. Dean thought he was the only one who would even have even thought to have looked for funding from Hunter in a case like that and then only because he was so used to looking for that kind of thing.

“I really need to meet her one day” Dean mumbled quietly, looking around the room. A stuffed dog with huge eyes lay flopped over on the ground. It reminded him of the toy he’d had as a kid. Or to be correct, the toy he’d found as a kid. He wondered what name River would have bestowed on the stuffed little dog. Hopefully a name just as good as Gucci. As if on cue, the fluffy mass stalked her way into the room, giving Dean a look over before hopping up onto his lap.

“You’ll get to see her soon, don’t be dramatic” Kevin rolled his eyes and reached over to stroke the fluff ball on Dean’s lap “We’re going to have a house warming once we’re really moved in, you’re obviously invited, and so are… Becky and the rest as long as they leave their guns at home”

Dean laughed, disturbing Gucci in his lap who flicked her head up and jumped off his lap with a distinct tail swish to disappear off somewhere else.

“I’d try to convince her but I doubt she would, when are you thinking?”

“A month or two? Just when we get River settled in school and then we get the house right, I know it’s a long time but I’m hoping-“

“Kev… there’s a chance that in a month or two…”

“Don’t say it” Kevin’s tone was hushed as he stared at the coffee table. He had an expression that Dean could only describe as somewhere between worry and anger. It was an expression that Kevin usually only reserved for Dean when he talked about work. Unlike every other time, it was tinged with sadness “Are you really trying to tell me that you’re prepared to die for this? Genuinely?”

Dean reached up to scratch the back of his neck, a nervous smile playing on his lips.

“Yeah”

Kevin deflated, a faraway look in his eyes.

“Then get back safe, kid”

He’d said that so many times to him in the dead of winter when Dean was going to check on some of the people they worked with regularly and deliver the latest news from Kevin. It was usually more of a joke, a testament to how much older Kevin seemed as he sat in the chair behind his desk, but this time it was as good as a prayer on the lips of Kevin Owens. 

“No promises”

“That’s what I thought” Kevin sighed and stood up, attempting to get rid of the heavy atmosphere between them “Want to come and see what we’ve done with the bedrooms?”  
Dean hopped to his feet with a smile.

“Yeah, give me the guided tour”

*

It was strange to have a reason for living, Dean thought as he paced the hallway in the house he was sharing with Roman, Finn and Seth. Having friends outside of the business gave him perspective. Having what could have been a readymade family outside of the business made him feel like he needed to survive all this for their benefit. He would still die for the whole thing but he wanted to go to Kevin and Sami’s house warming, he wanted to find out what River named her stuffed dog, he wanted to pet Gucci without the whole world threatening to collapse without him. 

He stopped to reach into his pocket for Roman’s knife. He flicked it as he walked, trying to order his thoughts into something more understandable.

“Are you planning on wearing a hole in the floor, babe?” Roman asked as he placed his book down quite deliberately on his lap. Dean shuddered to a halt mid-step, tilting his head to look through the doorway at him with a frown “With all the pacing, you’ve been going since you came back from Kevin and Sami’s”

“Sorry, I’m just getting energy out”

“No, no, it’s cool, I just wanted to know if you planned on sitting down any time soon,” Roman said. He laughed slightly and leant back on the couch, lifting his book up to his face “Just in case you stab Seth or Finn when they come in”

Dean snorted at that and flicked the knife closed. He put it back in his pocket, thumb still running along the handle’s surface as he made his way into the living room. He threw himself onto the chair opposite the couch, tucking his feet up under him. 

“Better?”

“Much” Roman sighed. He flicked the page of his book, his eyes glancing up to Dean quickly before back to the book “Why don’t you read or do something productive?”  
Dean shrugged. He hadn’t read a book since… the manual Regal gave him. Before then, it was his English teacher making him read Hamlet. It was hard to find something that interested him. 

“Come here then” Roman patted the seat beside him. Dean considered his option before getting up to drop onto the couch beside him. Roman wrapped his arm around him and shuffled him in tight against his side. He was still reading but his hand trailed up and down Dean’s side, a light touch he could barely feel through his shirt but it was undeniably there.

Dean leant his head on the other man’s shoulder, his eyes scanning the book page in front of him like he cared what was on the page in front of him. In reality, he was far more interested in the man beside him, in pressing himself against the warmth emanating from Roman like a furnace. Dean wondered for a second if Roman was aware of the way his hand almost landed on Dean’s hip as he moved. There was a deep longing in Dean’s soul for the hand to land and stay there, heavy and grounding. 

“Is this too much?” Roman asked suddenly as he flipped the page. Dean blinked. He was definitely zoning out.

“Is what too much?”

“This whole thing, the job, Hunter… me and Seth, is it too much?”

Dean shook his head slowly “Nothin’ I haven’t dealt with before, big dog”

“But it’s never been this personal before, I can tell with you and Seth, how you both shy away from talking about him” Roman kept his voice low as he talked. Finally his hand came to a stop on Dean’s hip “Becky and Charlotte too, like you’re these kids who never got the chance to grow up properly because of him and the people around him, all you wanna do is kill him and get it over with but you don’t wanna deal with your pain or what comes after”

“Woah, didn’t sign up for a psychological analysis” Dean mumbled quietly, refusing to think of how right Roman was. He didn’t want to think about that kind of thing. If he thought too hard about it he might sink into the dark again. 

“Sorry, I just… it hurts to see you both hurt” Roman dropped his book down onto his lap and caught Dean’s chin with his now free hand. He leant his head down to press his forehead against Dean’s. Their eyes met “I want to stop it from eating you both up from the inside”

Inches between them, breath ghosting over each other’s lips. Just a little more. Dean could feel the deep longing pull in his gut, the feeling that he’d been trying to bury endlessly since he talked with Sami on the phone gnawing at him as he stared.

“You don’t need to fix us, we’ll fix us” Dean replied softly.

Roman closed his eyes “Yeah, I know”

He leant in close enough to kiss Dean. He didn’t, but it was so close that there was a barely-there impression of pressure that made Dean wonder if it was actually happening. It wasn’t. It lasted a moment longer before Roman pulled away and lifted his book back up. Dean swallowed and returned to watching him read.  
It weighed on his mind for the rest of the day, the almost kiss, even after Seth and Finn came home. 

He wondered, in the dark of his bunk as Finn lay below him still, what it would have been like to actually close the gap and feel Roman’s lips against his own. If Roman felt the same pull as he felt, the one that wouldn’t leave him alone, he didn’t show it. It was as if it was just another thing that Roman did sometimes.

Dean lay awake the whole night thinking of what it would take to stop the ache from being so severe.

*

“Right lads, we’re down t’ the wire now” Becky spoke with a bubbling confidence in her voice as she stood behind her desk. Charlotte stood at her side, the faintest hint of a catlike smugness about her as she listened to her girlfriend speak. Dean hadn’t seen them look so excited in a long time “Black an’ Dream have seized everythin’ that was DIY’s leaving us to do the clean-up with Hunter who is currently panicking and hiding”

“Contacts haven’t seen him or Stephanie outside of the tower in the past week, they’re laying low in the hopes that Black Velvet – Dean don’t whisper Alannah Myles under your breath, I can see you, this is serious – will draw back or DIY will claw back what’s theirs” Charlotte continued, barely missing a beat as she caught Dean muttering song lyrics under his breath. Finn snorted, earning him Charlotte’s ire as she raised an eyebrow clearly pointed at him “We make a move soon, boys, while they’re both pent up in the tower, Nikki has- ”

“We’ve been daein’ all yer groundwork and we’ve advised against this, Charlotte, yer gonnae get yersel’s killed or worse!” Nikki Cross flung open the door to the office with a dark storm brewing behind her eyes. Behind her, Killian carrying a stack of papers nodded sagely as if Nikki had just dropped some ancient knowledge “He’s no’ hiding, Hunter doesn’t hide! We can-“

“Nikki, we’ve talked about this!”

“Naw, don’t you start me Becky, we’ve all told ye this is a bad idea! Now, ah love bad ideas but this…” She motioned to Killian who dropped his pile of paper right on top of her desk “This is… you lot have a death wish”

Dean met Nikki’s intense gaze. Challenging. This was a focused Nikki who wanted nothing more than to win whatever game she was playing in her head. Nikki daring to square off with Becky, the woman she admired more than anyone she’d ever met, was something Dean would normally pay top price to see. So close to the final job was nothing but terrifying.

“Nikki, what are these?” Seth asked as he approached the desk, picking up the top sheet.

“Emails, loads of emails” Killian explained with a small smile “We’ve been digging them up while you’ve all been playing hero”

Seth scanned the page before passing it back to Finn and picking up another. He picked up another one, reading it voraciously like he couldn’t get enough.

“These are… you two have seen these?” Seth asked as he looked up at Charlotte and Becky who visibly blanched.

“Can someone tell the unenlightened in the room what we’re missing?” Roman asked.

Nikki gave a grim smile as she snatched the paper that Finn was holding and cleared her throat.

“To: Banks and McIntyre, subject: Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch, Body reads: Both Lynch and Flair have caused DIY’s implosion, I have a feeling that we will be next, you know what to do” Nikki read aloud, rocking back and forward on her heels. She snatched the next from Seth “Again for Banks and McIntyre, this time with The Elite copied in, this is about Finn… ah’ll leave you to work out what they want with you”

Killian lifted the next.

“Sanity – eliminate on sight! Tha’s just plain nasty lads!”

“Oh! Nikki Cross! My favourite, I’m ‘smart but ultimately useless to them’ and they want me deed!”

“Lynch and Flair? Hunter says yer on the choppin’ block!”

“But here’s where it gets fun” Nikki lifted a sheet and put on her most official sounding voice “From the desk of Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Ms Nikki Cross and Mr Killian Dain would like to relay to Misters Ambrose, Rollins and Reigns that they are… well and truly fucked”

“Nikki, what do you mean?” Dean questioned. Her smile wavered for a second as she looked at him. She had been caught up in the revelations and seemed to have forgotten that the contents of the emails had consequences. Her expression softened and Killian plucked it from her hands to continue.

“He wants you three alive, ain’t that just shite?”

Roman’s hands were immediately on his and Seth’s shoulder, tugging them back towards him. Dean glanced up to look at Roman’s face. His expression was sour, brows furrowed as he stared at Becky and Charlotte with a ice cold anger behind his eyes.

“And you wanted to send them into that?” Roman questioned, his grip tightening on the two men beside him “No, not that you were going to send us into that, more like why weren’t you going to tell us? I think I speak for all of us when I say I’d rather get taken out than kept alive for him”

Becky reached for Charlotte’s hand.

“We need to do this now, Roman, we know the risks, and you know the risks… Seth, Dean…” Charlotte said softly. Her eyes met Dean’s, pleading with him before fixing Seth with a sad look “I swear to god I will do anything to stop them from getting you if it comes down to it but it isn’t going to get safer if we wait and you know it”

And he trusted her, fully and utterly. Despite everything, he would always trust her and Becky. He’d follow them to the ends of the earth, no matter what evidence was thrown in front of him. Nikki’s eyes were just as pleading as Dean looked at her. His little sister was begging him not to do something stupid, to hang on and wait until it was safer. He took a deep breath. There was no safer for them now.

“Charlotte’s right, now or never. If we’re going to be taken… we can have fail safes”

If Hunter was about to take them, a bullet between the eyes was a kindness.

Nikki swallowed and gave Dean a look. They trusted each other more than anyone in the room. 

“I hope tae god you’re right”


	23. Icarus

It was bitterly cold as Dean pulled on his gear in the warehouse. He strapped a gun on and sorted his knives out in his pocket before straightening up to look at Seth and Roman. Roman held out his earpiece to him and he shoved it in, rolling his neck. Nikki’s voice crackled to life in his ear.

“This is yer test call from Glasgow Cross, reply with yer call signs starting with Control”

“You’re hearin’ Sanity!” Eric answered for the group of three, one com between them. They didn’t need any more. They were cohesive, one creature living and breathing as one in the control room with Nikki.

“The Queen” Charlotte’s voice was clear and crisp as she answered. Commanding and every inch the queen she proclaimed herself as. She was in full tactical gear, her blonde mane pulled off of her face in a ponytail, and she had a tension in her shoulders that gave her the appearance of a lioness about to strike.

“The Man” Becky came over as short and clipped. He could see her as she jogged into view on the main floor of the warehouse to meet her girlfriend and Finn, shaking out the nerves in her hands. She was dressed the same and packing some serious heat. Dean wouldn’t have been surprised if she was wearing half her arsenal on her.

Finn looked up to salute the three above him with a bright smile “The Demon’s hearin’ you all loud n’ clear! Lookin sharp, Deano!”

Dean laughed as he tapped his earpiece “Not too bad yourself, Balor! Mox here!”

“Stop flirting, that’s not allowed” Seth grumbled.

“Jealous?”

Seth rolled his eyes and reached up to tap his earpiece “Architect, everything sounds great to me” 

“This is the Big Dog, just letting Finn know that I will personally find every piece of his Lego and upend it into a fire if he doesn’t stop”

There was a burst of laughter from the other end as Nikki finished up her call. It was difficult to ease themselves into a job as a team but Nikki’s skill at running communication helped a lot more than Dean had thought it would. She was relatively upbeat considering what they were facing.

Roman grabbed Dean and Seth, pulling them into a huddle.

“This is it,” He said softly. Dean leant into him, reaching for his hand and holding out the other for Seth to take if he chose to. Seth took it, squeezing slightly, looking down at their interlinked hands with a small smile. 

“This is it.” Seth confirmed and looked up.

Dean felt like he’d been waiting on this moment his whole life. Dean’s grips on the hands holding his tightened and he took a deep breath to steady himself. He could feel his chest tightening as he looked at the two men beside him. The people whose hands he was about to put his life into. 

“We’re going to make it out of this alive, don’t you dare think otherwise” Roman said. He pressed his forehead against Dean’s in an echo of the day on the couch. Dean could feel himself smile at the image in his head before Roman moved to do the same to Seth. Soft touches of longing “We got things to live for boys, we got people to get out for”

It was unspoken but Dean had a feeling about who Roman was living for. Maybe he’d known for longer than he’d thought. Roman’s words always had a lot of meaning to them. The babes and baby boys he added softly to the end of his sentences weren’t just words anymore. They were full of soft promises of a warmer time in the future and he’d do anything for Roman to call him babe one more time. Roman was perfect. Everything about him made Dean feel soft and ready to be in love. His arms were the kind he wanted to get swept up in and held in for the rest of his life and his eyes were the kind that Dean could lose himself in.

“If anything happens… I want you to know that I trust you both and there are no other people on Earth I’d rather be with tonight” Seth said quietly. Dean’s stomach tightened at the thought of Seth trusting him, especially after everything that had happened between them. Once upon a time, he would have thought that would be a cold day in hell when he counted Seth Rollins amongst the closest people in his life, but now it was a certainty. It was strange to think how much he depended on the guy who’d practically ruined his life “If I go out, I’m glad it’s with you two beside me”

Sami was right. He had it bad. 

He drew out of the huddle and rolled his shoulders, dropping Roman and Seth’s hands.

“We got this. Let’s go”

Dean had said his goodbyes to Nikki and the boys before he’d got dressed. Nikki and Eric would be in his ear the whole time so it was more for Alexander and Killian. If anything went wrong… well, he wanted them both to know how much it had meant to him to have them with him. He wanted them to know how grateful he was that they were there to look after Nikki and keep Eric out of trouble. 

“We are… Familie, brüderlichkeit, always, come back alive” Alexander had said quietly with a smile. Killian had ruffled his hair with a chuckle. It was something Dean was sure he’d carry to the grave with him.

He hadn’t told Kevin or Sami. He couldn’t bear the thought of Sami’s expressive face folding into sadness. It was bad enough when he’d hauled himself to them after he’d been tortured. Their faces were ingrained into his mind every time he thought of how he would die.

Dean shook off his thoughts and pulled himself back to reality.

Becky and Charlotte were in their elements as they separated everyone into their various teams. Finn gave Roman and Seth a hug before turning to Dean. He gave him the biggest smile before dragging him into a tight hug.

“Yer gonna take care of my brothers, right?”

“Yeah, just as long as you take care of my sisters”

He let go and gave him a fist bump before disappearing into Becky and Charlotte’s car. He shut the door behind him and Dean said a silent prayer to whatever God was looking out for them that it wouldn’t be the last time he saw Finn Balor. They were a family now, after all, and he couldn’t imagine a world in which his bright smile and countless abs weren’t present.

Becky and Charlotte hugged him like the world would end soon which, in their defence, was a possibility. They’d grown up since they’d done this last. Hugging, that was, not the world collapsing thing. It was the last time they’d seen each other before everything went bad. It wasn’t even something they usually did, Dean had just felt particularly clingy for his best friends at the time. He liked to think it was his gut saying he wouldn’t get to hug them for a long time. 

“Just going to casually take down the man who ruined our lives” Charlotte muttered against their shoulders, a smile playing on her lips as she spoke “It’s just another job, don’t lose your cool”

“I am going to kick the shit out of him” Dean muttered, much to Becky and Charlotte’s amusement. 

“Leave some skin for my boot when I get t’ him” Becky patted Dean’s back as she pulled away, grabbing her girlfriend’s hand “We’ve got this”

Dean nodded. They had this. 

*

The city was a living breathing creature under his feet as he took the alley behind the imposing building. It seemed to be pushing him forward like a wave towards the building, towards Hunter, like it knew what was happening and was waiting to be cut loose. Behind him, Seth and Roman followed with their weapons trained on the dark in front of them. It had all gone well. All Nikki had to do for Becky, Charlotte and Finn was check the guard rotation and cut the cameras. They were another story. While Becky and the rest were quite happy to take their time and clear each level, they had to take the back door and speed-run to the top before Hunter could.

He watched with a keen eye as the security camera just below the cold white spotlight drooped. Nikki had control. It picked itself up and swivelled towards them like a robotic welcome wagon.

“Ah got visuals on Mox! Yer good to go!”

Roman’s hand touched Dean’s hip softly and he nodded towards the door. He fumbled in his pocket for his lock pick before crouching down to face the cold steel. It was simple and with just a second of prodding, the door popped open. Dean held the position, expecting something to burst out of the doorway towards them or for the alarm to trigger. I seemed too easy, but nothing happened. Nikki Cross and Sanity were doing their work and they were doing it well. He withdrew back and let Seth in. The man fidgeted and his torch illuminated a dark hall with a metal staircase.

“’S dark,” Dean said quietly. Seth looked back at him with a ‘no shit’ kind of look. He stepped forward into the doorway and Dean stopped him, hooking a hand in the back of Seth’s trousers to tug him back “lights’ll be motion sensors probably, we don’t want the whole buildin’ lighting up like a shitty Christmas tree”

Seth turned back towards the doorway and reached up to send through a call.

“Sanity, the lights in our entry, are they motion sensors?”

“Yep, on it” Eric popped his ‘P’ and his words were followed by a keyboard clicking “And they’re… off!”

Roman patted Dean’s back.

“Good call, babe”

Dean could feel himself smile.

The stairs creaked below them as they wound their way up. The whole building seemed empty and desolate. Maybe they’d overestimated the whole operation. There was far less security than they-

The bang of loud a loud explosion cut through the air from floors below them and the trio exchanged a look in the dark. Finn. It had to be him and the girls making their entrance.  
“Sanity, we’ve made contact, 2 security down – make that 3” Becky’s voice buzzed in their ears. A burst of gunfire over her voice was amplified by about a million times in their ears. It was clear that their distraction was working.

Dean gritted his teeth and continued up the stairs. There was a small part of him that wanted to turn his back and help with whatever was happening floors below him. Every so often Becky’s voice would echo in his ear, barking hurried commands to whoever was listening. The gunfire was rapid, shouting now audible from where they were. Roman placed a hand on the small of Dean’s back, urging him upwards. He moved almost robotically, taking step after step because Roman and Seth were there and he had to for them.

The floors passed in a haze. Dean was entirely focused on the stairs in front of him and the dark that hid more secrets than it showed. The dark was supposed his element but it felt like it was twisted. Something didn’t feel right. It was as if someone was watching their ascent from just around every corner they turned.

He voiced his concerns.

“This isn’t right,” He said quietly, his voice echoing up and down the stairwell with nothing to bounce off of. He survived on gut feelings. Like Regal always said, a thief’s instincts were the thing that kept them alive and he’d been living that way for 27 years. He wasn’t about to stop now.

Seth paused mid-step and turned to look at Dean, Roman’s torch illuminating his face. He lowered his gun.

“What’s the issue?”

“It just doesn’t seem… right” Dean mumbled as he pulled Seth down a step to his level “Listen”

Silence. Complete and total silence. There was a definite lack of sound from the levels around them like the whole world was holding its breath. Dean didn’t like it. Then he heard it, a door creaking a flight above them. He crouched down, motioning for Seth and Roman to follow his lead.

The sound of footsteps, hurried and heavy, echoed down the stairwell. Going upwards, further away from them. Dean let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Roman caught his hand to give it a squeeze. Non-verbal encouragement.

Dean grabbed his gun, his finger resting on the trigger, as they continued to spiral up in silence. There was a click as someone in their control centre switched channels. Nikki was dividing them up now which meant that the next phase of the job was being put into action.

“One mair floor, then yer gonnae want to take the door to yer right, you’re gonnae be right outside the elevator, there are 2 armed guards” Nikki relayed. Even through the earpiece, they could hear the rest of Sanity talking loudly. It sounded like they were worried. Dean tried not to think about how little of the gunfire he could hear now.

Roman and Seth took the lead and Dean crouched behind them. Seth edged the door open and Roman took the shot. 

One faceless, nameless, guard crumpled to the ground followed by the next. Dean shut his eyes. He couldn’t look. If he did, then the guards wouldn’t be faceless anymore and the sick feeling in his stomach would just get worse. He should have been used to death by now but he could never quite get over it. He stuck close to the pair as they pushed into the hall, the smell of blood making his nose wrinkle. The fact that neither Roman nor Seth batted an eyelid as they stooped to check for vitals on the bodies before they moved on was a stark reminder that Roman and Seth were contract killers.

Seth’s voice echoed in his head, ‘Do you think I’m a bad person?’, and they were. They were awful, terrible, horrifying people doing what they’d been taught to do.

“They’re alive, but they won’t be for long unless you get someone up here”

“Already taken care of, Reigns, dinnae you worry, we have Fatales en route”

The hallway was long, bright white walls emblazoned with Hunter’s logo in a dark, almost marbled looking green. The carpet matched with a similar green that made Dean think of poison swirling around them as they moved through it. It was almost distracting how much it looked like it was moving. Dean forced himself to keep his eyes fixed forward and on Seth and Roman. 

The fact there was no security up here meant something to Dean. Hunter was still, after all this time, cocky, believed he was untouchable. Below them, a hundred guards would be swarming to protect Stephanie, Hunter’s last prize, but up here… Up here, Hunter was God. He didn’t need ants to protect him when he could kill with one look.

A flat white door loomed In front of them, ‘HHH’ carved into it like it wasn’t immediately obvious who’d have an office like it. Seth and Roman pressed themselves against the wall at either side of the door. Dean held back, ready to watch them storm the room.

Before they could get a chance to burst in, the doors swung open. 

“Come in, boys”

*

Triple H’s office was a testament to his power. Black and white with green and gold accents. A portrait of himself and Stephanie hung behind him on the wall, the pair of them dressed in finery and sipping from wine glasses. Black bookshelves, stuffed with books – a few of which, Dean recognised as copies that were once Regal’s -, lined the walls. His desk was jet black and piled high with paperwork and photo frames facing away from them.

Hunter himself was dressed in a suit, his beard neatly trimmed, and a smile on his face like the cat who’d got the cream. He was lazily pointing a gun at Seth, only half looking at him as he held a photo frame up as though comparing him.

McIntyre and Banks had their guns trained on Roman and Dean. 

“Oh, Seth, Seth, Seth… you are a disappointment to me, I thought you, of all people, had more brains than to march through my front door where I can see you” Hunter sighed, tossing the photo frame down. It spun out just enough so that Dean could see a young Seth with Hunter and Stephanie on either side of him. Seth tensed his jaw and Hunter chuckled “Don’t go for your gun, I know where all your weapons are… you’ve not changed a single bit”

“Leave him alone” Dean spat. Hunter’s brows raised and Sasha took a step towards him. Hunter waved her off with a smile and motioned for Dean to step forward.

“Say that again, please Mr Ambrose”

“Fuck off and leave him alone, he’s not your toy to play with”

Hunter seemed amused by Dean in a way that made the hair on the back of Dean’s neck stand on end. His smile was cruel and verged on downright disturbing. He clearly thought he was still pulling the strings.

“But this is my game, Ambrose, it’s been my game the whole time and I’m going to play it how I want, the only reason any of your friends are still alive is because I let them stay alive” Hunter’s eyes fixed on Roman behind Dean’s left shoulder “The only reason that Reigns isn’t mourning his cousins is because I let them live here, in my city”

Roman growled lowly, sending shudders up through Dean’s spine. He was understandably pissed off. The thought of Hunter being able to touch the people that they cared for in the outside world was something that had driven Dean insane for a long time. When he first met Sami and Kevin, Dean was terrified that around every corner, Hunter would be waiting for them.

Hunter laughed a humourless laugh at Roman’s anger, only managing to make the Samoan seethe even more. He was powerfully angry, but angry meant you made mistakes. Roman was a clean contract killer, emotions made the job harder in the same way that having people to care about made Dean’s job harder.

“The big dog’s in a little cage, I suppose you’ve been too used to running your own little hit squad that you forgot that you’re just a boy playing at a man’s game still” Hunter stood, his gun still on Seth as he rounded the table “I think it’s time you all got put down, for good this time, Cerberus and the little Fatales”

“No!” Seth’s voice was shaky and Dean only realised it was his because of the tone. He sounded like a lost child begging for someone to care for him “No, you can’t you promised my dad, you promised-“

“To take care of you? Oh, Seth, I loved you like my own son and you stabbed me in the back, there’s nothing I can do for you now” Hunter approached Seth like a wolf in a man-suit. His movements were measured and careful, bringing in the lamb. He placed a hand on Seth’s shoulder, watching how he flinched away with amusement “Maybe you could be of some use as an example of a failed experiment”

The gun came up under Seth’s chin, forcing his head back in an unnatural position. He struggled to swallow as his eyes flicked from Roman to Dean with wild fear. Terrified, Dean could do nothing but watch as Hunter pulled the trigger, unable to pull his eyes away from the death of one of the people he loved more than anything in the entire world.  
Nothing.

The man stepped back with a sick smile and Seth dropped down to his knees. He looked like he was about to vomit, tears running down his cheeks as he hunched over.  
“Same little boy, same little fear of the boogeyman”

Roman made a swing for Hunter, McIntyre immediately grabbing him to restrain him.

“Don’t fucking touch him, don’t you dare touch him”

Dean squeezed his eyes shut. It hurt so badly to be unable to help either of them. He was as good as powerless. Roman’s words were like needles into his skin, the sound a pained howl that echoed around his brain.

“Don’t worry, Reigns, I don’t plan on damaging the goods, at least not physically”

Not physically. Never physically. When Hunter wanted to break you, he did it mentally. He made you run scared.

When Dean was tortured, there was plenty of physical beatings, but it was the mental berating that stuck with him. Jibes about Regal from the guards, facts about his childhood he’d told his guardian in confidence. Of course, Regal had told Hunter, they had been friends after all. He had to have talked about the problems he faced bringing him up. Regal had probably told him with the intent of Hunter suggesting ways to soothe the young boy’s trauma, but Hunter had filed it away for safe keeping.

“Now, how do I break you, Mr Reigns, if being a failure is what breaks Seth… what breaks you?” Hunter considered. Dean listened as Hunter hummed for a moment. The sound that followed was a sickening crack and Dean’s eyes sprang open. Seth curled in on himself, a rivulet of blood chasing down his forehead like sweat. Roman looked on at his friend, his… whatever they were to each other, his face blank.

“You bastard, don’t fucking touch him!” Dean spat, suddenly roused from his stupor by the sight of Seth’s blood, ruby red, real and shining on his greying skin.

“Ah, how sweet, Dean, you’ve found something to care about other than that little rat of a girl and your poor adoptive father, I wonder if they care about you?” He nodded to Sasha who forced Dean to his knees, pressing her gun to the back of his head. He closed his eyes and swallowed. He’d imagined he would go out in some heroic way, not on his knees in front of the man who’d been responsible for the worst days of his life “You always were my least favourite one of the pet projects, Ambrose, you had too much heart, at least Lynch, Flair and Rollins learnt how to kill, I suppose I can swap you for Lynch, you are… damaged goods”

“Hunter, stop this!” Roman’s voice had a panicked edge to it. Dean begged him in his mind not to react but it was useless “You want the matching set, right? You can’t kill him if you want us all together”

“The matching set is only good when there isn’t factory flaws, Reigns… I think one bullet will be enough to remind you of just who you’re playing for…. Banks, if you will – Try not to make too much of a mess, Stephanie just had these carpets cleaned” Sasha clicked the safety off. Hunter calmly got down to his knees, a hand under Dean’s chin to tilt his face up, forcing him to look at him.

“Any last words, Dean? Shall I tell your daddy how brave you were before I put a bullet between his eyes?”

“Fuck you”

The man laughed before leaning forward to whisper quietly in Dean’s ear “Just one death and I have the people who loved you in the palm of my hand, poetic, isn’t it?”

“I hope you choke on your shitty poetry”

Hunter grinned and let go of Dean’s face. He dropped his gaze back to the floor, biting his lip so hard he might draw blood.

“Sasha, you know what to do”

Dean didn’t really believe in a higher power. He believed in the dirt under his nails and the coppery taste in the back of his throat, but even so, he prayed, just to make sure that if there was a heaven, God wasn’t pissed about the shitty things he’d done.

Dean suddenly had a vision of a bright smile and brown hair tied high in a ponytail flash through his mind.

“Bayley… Bayley… misses you”

Sasha started back, he could feel it in the way the air around him felt different. He kept his eyes shut. The whole room was clear in his mind. He just needed a little more time.  
“Banks, growing a conscience now is not your brightest idea, if you can’t finish the job, McIntyre will” Hunter growled lowly. No click or movement followed. No gunshot to end his life. He’d found his way in.

Dean slowly reached into his pocket to find Roman’s knife, Shield, balanced and familiar in his hand. He opened an eye, the world in slow motion as Hunter approached him. He levelled his breathing, counted to three, then threw himself forward, plunging the knife deep into Hunter’s stomach. Hunter bared his teeth with a growl and twisted in his grasp to fire his gun. A spike of pain shot through Dean’s hip and it was all he could do to knock the gun from Helmsley’s hand before digging his knife in even deeper. He looked up to throw Roman one last desperate look.

Roman read him like a book as he reached up to tap his earpiece.

“Demon. Do it”

The last thing Dean remembered was Roman and Seth reaching for him hopelessly before the explosion ripped through the building.

Finn’s failsafe.


	24. Be

Dean was burning and drowning all at the same time.

  
And he saw himself.

  
*

  
“You can’t be serious! Las Vegas? The Las Vegas?” Dean asks as he rocks back and forward. His face is split into an expression of glee as he looks up at his mentor from his position on the floor. He sets his bowl of crappy sugary cereal down on the ground and scoots closer to Regal who smiles slightly at the action “Like, you want me? Me to come with you? Really?”

  
“That is what I said Dean, you’re old enough and I think you could be of some use to me there”

  
He drops the plane tickets onto Dean’s lap and he snatches them up and holds them up to read them. First class. Vegas baby. Dean’s never been out of the city and the excitement is palpable.

  
“I gotta tell Char and Becks they’re gonna be so-“

  
“You’re not going to tell Ms Flair and Ms Lynch anything, Dean. This is not an event that needs to be publicised” Regal interrupts stiffly, staring at Dean with a coldness that he’s not had for a long time “I am sorry, but this job must be kept quiet for both my and your benefits, is that very clear?”

  
“Yes sir” Dean sighs and passes the tickets back up to Regal who places them down on the table. He picks his bowl back up and continues to dig into it with less enthusiasm. He shoves a spoonful into his mouth and realises he has a question to ask “How comf few donf wanf them fo knof?”

  
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Dean”

  
He swallows and puts his spoon back into the depths of his bowl.

  
“How come you don’t want them to know? What’s the job about anyway?”

  
Regal folds his hands on his lap and closes his eyes as if in thought. Dean just sits and stares. He’s never been sure if he’s supposed to interrupt Regal when he’s in reflection so he settles on shovelling yet more cereal into his mouth. He manages a few more spoonfuls before Regal opens his eyes and sits up straight on the sofa.

  
“There is… uncertainty, Dean”

  
“What kinda uncertainty?”

  
“I have a feeling that a friend of mine is going to perhaps make a large mistake, Dean, and I plan to have… enough money to sustain you if anything is to happen to me”  
“Anything was going to happen to you? I don’t wanna… tell you how to live, but you’re like the world’s greatest thief, if anyone were going to do anything, I really doubt it’d be any of your friends”

  
Regal chuckles and leans forward to ruffle Dean’s hair.

  
“Oh, Dean, If only you knew, my darling boy, how little is in our friendships”

  
Dean can swear he sees a look of sadness cross Regal’s face as the man settles back. Dean lifts his bowl and edges closer to his legs, leaning back against the sofa next to his mentor. Regal’s hand settles back in his curls.

  
“So you don’t want me to tell Becky and Charlotte in case it’s Ric or Steve, right?”

  
“Correct”

  
Dean doesn’t understand it. He doesn’t understand how they can get to this point in their lives and still want to betray each other. He was sure when Charlotte, Becky and him got to that age they’d be good as gold. Hell, he was already practically their brother. He couldn’t see himself ever betraying them. Maybe Regal’s generation were just different.

  
“So, you’re taking a job in Vegas to set me up just in case you get offed?”

 

“Get offed? Dean, please, use proper language, but yes” Regal runs his fingers through Dean’s curls and brushes them out of his eyes “I will place the funds from the into a side account for you that you will have immediate access to after I leave town. If it never happens, the money will be for you when you reach 21, is that clear?Yes sir” Dean closes his eyes and leans his head against his mentor’s knee “Thank you, but I’m pretty sure you’re not gonna die”

 

“Oh, to have your youthful confidence, Mr Ambrose, we all think we’ll never die until death is right under our noses”

  
*

  
It felt like hell. Everything hurt. Someone was dragging him.

  
*

  
The plane ride to Las Vegas was better than Dean expected. He didn’t vomit up the smoothie that Regal had bought him in the airport before they took off so he counts that as a win. The pair of them wind their way through the airport terminal with Dean giving a running commentary on the people around him.

  
“Oh my god! Did you see that guys shirt?”

  
“Yes, Dean”

  
“Can we stop so I can get a touristy shirt? I'm trying beat Charlotte in the race to get the tackiest outfit on the face of the planet"

  
“No, Dean”

  
“Aw, come on, you suck”

  
“Dean Ambrose, I will buy you a ticket home if you continue, do not test me”

  
Dean groans and shoulders his bag and speeds up to keep pace with Regal who’s striding out of the airport towards the taxis. They take the 1st one and speed to their hotel. Dean chats excitedly to the guy driving. Regal keeps sending him looks that read as mild annoyance but he’s not going to stop Dean’s fun. This was his first… real job. His first holiday. His first real time out of the city.

  
Becky and Charlotte headed off to some sunny place every summer for a couple of weeks with just Ric as a chaperone. They invited Dean every year, but Regal always said no. Dean couldn’t go anywhere. It’s unfair and he complains about it every summer when he’s stuck in the house for weeks with nobody to talk to outside of Regal and the odd visit from Regal’s friends.

  
“First time out here?”

  
“Yeah! It’s my first holiday!” Dean chatters with a huge smile “What are the sights like? I mean, like obviously there’s the strip but-“

  
Regal coughs and pats Dean’s knee “You won’t be going out on the strip while I’m working and I certainly will not be funding underage gambling”

  
“Ah, gotta listen to the old man, kiddo” The driver laughs “Depends what you’re lookin’ for but If I was you, I’d head out to the desert if I was you, take one of the trails and head for a hike, really get your blood pumping. You havent seen the world till you've seen the Mojave”

  
Dean raises his eyebrows and slumps back into the seat with a smile.

  
“I think I might”

  
*

  
Blood was seeping through his pants, he could feel it against his skin. He could hear someone shouting. Maybe it was Roman. Maybe it was Seth. He wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter.

  
*

  
Regal leaves him in the hotel room by himself after Dean plans his route into the building for him. He’s going to meet his client and discuss it, find out if Dean’s planning is anywhere near possible. It’s a simple exercise for him considering he’s been studying floorplans for Regal for 4 years but his mentor seems proud of him as he leaves the room. It’s done nothing to ease Dean’s boredom though. He’s already thrown a bouncy ball at the ceiling of the room so many times he’s gotten a complaint from the room above them.

  
He’s going to get so bored his brains going to melt out of his ears.

  
Dean wishes he could have Becky and Charlotte with him. They’d create some trouble together. Hell, if they were here, they’d probably be in the casino playing blackjack and getting thrown out for not only being far too young to gamble but also for being the world’s most obvious cheats.

  
He groans and throws his head back. Maybe he can sneak out onto the strip with some of Regal’s cash. Regal left him enough to order whatever he wanted from room service while he was out casing the joint but Dean knew he had even more in his bag. Maybe he’d get some souvenirs for Charlotte and Becky. Regal wouldn’t need to know.  
He almost does it.

  
But he can’t do it to Regal. The dishonesty of stealing from the man who was as good as his dad was too much for him to handle. Even after being trained to be a thief, he felt guilty doing stuff to innocent people.

  
Dean sighs and sits up.

  
He’s going to take the taxi driver’s advice. Besides, what could go wrong? It would probably be less dangerous than a walk in the park at home.

  
*

  
Pain. Dean could only feel pain. Someone was carrying him and he could hear Charlotte barking loud commands in the background. His earpiece was buzzing. Nikki. Eric. Voices he couldn’t understand rolled into one sound. Too loud.

  
*

  
The Mojave is vast and hot. It’s a dream come true for Dean who’s only ever seen grey city blocks and broken down parks. It has everything he’s ever wanted in a space. He ended up going to an actual hiking place that a bus dropped him off at the car park for. The sun’s beating down on him and he’s glad he put on shorts and packed water and sunscreen for the hike. He wasn’t sure where he was going when he set out but the driver of the bus he ended up on recommended the trail to him. It was some sort of dune hike. Apparently, it was pretty well known but to Dean, it sounded like fantastic resistance training to run up and down the sandy desert dunes. But, the driver said with a smile as Dean got off the bus, there was something special about the sand.

  
The bus driver says it sings.

  
And Dean’s pretty sure he’s absolutely mental. Since when did sand sing? There must be something in the air out in the desert that made you go crazy because Dean's starting to feel some pull at his gut as he kicks his way through the dust.

  
The trail gives up being a trail a mile in and it starts getting harder. It’s nice though. There are other people on the trail, but it all seems like groups and there’s enough room so they’re not all clumped together. There are parents with kids and serious hikers that put Dean to shame. It’s quiet and he ends up taking his time walking up the dunes rather than running it like he thought he would.

  
It’s beautiful though. The sky is bright blue and the desert seems to stretch onwards forever. He could imagine living out here in the desert in one of the little houses that looked abandoned. He wants nothing more in the world to take a million pictures to show to Becky and Charlotte when he gets back home but he knows he can’t. He has a feeling it’s going to be hard to keep to himself.

  
He’s halfway up a dune when he hears it. The rumbling. He almost throws himself down in terror in case the whole dune is going to come collapsing down but it doesn’t. The sand sings to him.

  
Dean laughs as he turns in a circle. It’s amazing. He’s never felt so free. By the time he’s at the top of the dune, he’s elated. He throws himself down into the sand and stares up at that dizzying blue. He throws back more water and just sits there. People hike past and take photos but there’s nothing like just being there for Dean.

  
He’s going to remember it for the rest of his life. Hell, he’s going to drag Regal out here before he leaves and make him feel the same elation he does.

  
By the time he makes his way back down the dunes to the path, he’s freer than he’s been in years. It feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He’s going to come back tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after, every day until he has to leave. He’s going to hike every trail he can until there’s nothing left.

  
He’s never going to forget this little corner of the world that’s moulded itself perfectly to him.

  
*

  
“Do you really think there’s someone that wants to hurt you?” Dean asks, rolling onto his back on the bed. Regal stills his hand midway through tying his tie and stares into the mirror.

  
“Yes”

  
Dean groans and sits up, peeling himself off the covers where he’s been lying for the past hour while Regal got ready for some casino night with a client. Dean was not invited. Not that he would be able to do anything but stand next to Regal for the whole time.

  
“Gonna elaborate?”

  
Regal sighs and finish tying his tie, taking a step back from the mirror to look at himself fully. He’s gone for a dark grey suit that Dean’s sure he’s seen a million times but is probably an entirely new suit bought for this occasion and this occasion only. Dean tugs the sleeves of his ratty hoodie down over his hands, pushing his thumb through a hole.

  
“Dean, do you understand the impact a thief has?” He asks and turns. He picks his suit jacket up from the chair he tossed it over earlier and crosses to sit on the edge of Dean’s bed. Dean shifts himself down next to his mentor, folding his legs up under him.

  
“Of course I do, I’ve been living with you for 4 years”

  
“Good, perhaps I’ve taught you something useful then” He laughs and Dean perks up a little. His hope that Regal’s not too serious about it all is dashed by Regal’s next words “But… I was important in the construction of our current regime and either you or I will be important in the construction of the next if the balance is disrupted, to take one of us out of the game would impact who wins”

  
“And you think it’s either Ric or Steve?”

  
“No, Dean, If I’m quite honest… I believe that it may be Hunter”

  
“Really? But he loves you, you’re like his best friend after Steph and Shawn, why would he want to… y’know…” Dean motions with a slicing motion across his neck and Regal sighs.

  
“Dean. Hunter has only ever loved himself. He sees Stephanie and Shawn as extensions of that self, trust me when I say we are nothing but ants in his kingdom… bullet ants but ants none the less. If he has to crush the colony to take out the infestation, he will”

  
“So he’d do it?”

  
“Dean, if you had all the power over the city, would you take a chance with your friends who you believe are just as power-hungry as you are? If one day you were in Hunter’s position and Becky and Charlotte were the only valid threats to your empire, could you let them live?”

  
Dean swallows and looks down at the carpet.

  
“They’re my best friends, I could never hurt them”

  
Regal laid a hand on Dean’s shoulder, squeezing lightly.

  
“Then you’re a better and braver man than any of us could ever be”

  
*

  
And it was dark. He was dying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternative Title: Chapter 23.5 - Dean has a mid-death breakdown.


	25. Wait For Me

In the darkness, he saw Seth and Roman. Faces swimming through his mind like an endless reminder of everything that was gone now. He didn’t mind the darkness too much. It was home enough, a good place for a thief’s final escape. It was the faces and the voices that pushed their way in that annoyed him. He hadn’t banked on death being full of everyone in his life he’d failed.

Sometimes it was Nikki, reading something out to him, wedding invites if he’d worked out correctly. It was some stupid storyline his consciousness was trying to build in death. Becky and Charlotte’s marriage. It was a sick joke and he wished it’d go back to blackness eternal with just his consciousness for company. Sami and Kevin had swum through his vision a few times, talking about useless things that reminded him of how much he was going to miss them. He was going to miss out on being an uncle, a best friend. 

Other times it was Regal, his voice tired and measured as he recounted everything that had happened to him after he’d left. The things his brain came up with were wild. Tales of Regal founding a school for young thieves in Britain, his constant spats with Steve and the struggle as they tried to navigate being undercover without losing the level of luxury that Shawn had become used to. It was gripping stuff if you were into it. Dean wasn’t. He didn’t want to think about what he might have missed out on.

At least when Roman and Seth were there, he felt like he was home.

“You know, I wish they’d loosen up on visiting” Seth’s voice grumbled. He’d been doing that a lot recently, complaining about visiting. It was probably just Dean’s sub-conscious trying to make room for a reason as to why everyone he knew had shown up in his head at least once “Dean’s not a baby, we should be here when he needs us to be”

“I know, babe, but we’re under observation too, we can’t walk around all the time” Roman countered. Seth seemed to take this as good enough and hummed. Dean could imagine Roman grabbing Seth’s hand to give it a squeeze, Seth would probably like the comfort “Besides, he’s coming out of it anyway soon, they got the swelling down”

“It’s weird not having him here” Seth sighed.

“He’s in an induced coma, not dead, baby”

Coma? Dean internally groaned. His mind was really into making his death seem like… not death. It was as though whatever was left of him was trying to give him hope. It was really annoying.

“I know… I just miss his voice” Seth mumbled quietly “I know he’d probably call me a dumbass for saying that but at least then I’d get to hear him, y’know?”

Dean laughed at that. 

“Dumbass” He sighed internally before moving on to attempt to shut out the faces in the darkness. 

“Holy shit! Roman! Did you-“

“I did, I did, Seth, go get the doctor, yeah?” Roman’s voice seemed closer.

Something touched his hand. His hand. Dean had hands. He could feel things. Were you meant to feel things when you died? Dean hadn’t really worked out the logistics off the whole thing but something was definitely touching where his hand should be. Something squeezed his maybe real maybe not real hand softly.

“Hey, baby, heard you laugh… wanna open your eyes for us? Maybe call us both stupid?” Roman asked lowly in his ear. Oh he had ears? Dean frowned which earned him a hand squeeze “Yeah, I know, come on”

“I’m dead, stop it” Dean sighed, wrinkling his nose as he tried to force Roman’s voice away from his mind. He didn’t want him to be like this, he’d rather have one of Regal’s dumb stories. Roman laughed. Actually laughed out loud.

“You’re not dead, I can hear you, Dean, promise, just… try and open your eyes-“

“Doctor’s just coming, I-“

Dean tried to open his eyes. He hadn’t tried before. Everything had felt heavy before but now there was less resistance as he finally opened them.

It was bright, too bright. The light hurt his eyes as he squinted through the whiteness. Dark shapes swam into view, figures of people in a stark white room. He blinked a few times, forcing his eyes to adjust.

Roman. 

Seth.

He bolted upright only to be wracked by a shooting pain right down his back into his thigh. Roman winced and placed a hand on his chest, pushing him back against the pillows of a bed. It took him an extra second before he realised he was in a hospital bed with all sorts of wires and IVs trailing off his body. He shut his eyes tight as he tried to push past the pain coursing through him. He was sore all over, everything from his chest down was aching. 

Tentatively, he opened his eyes to look at the two men hovering over him.

Roman was sitting on the edge of Dean’s bed. He was covered in scratches and bruises, testaments to what had happened to him. His left arm was tied up in a sling, but aside from that, he looked like he’d just stepped off a shoot for an action movie rather than gotten out of a hospital bed. Seth looked surprisingly good. Well, apart from the fact that his right knee was strapped up. He was leaning heavily on crutches as he approached, dropping onto the bed with a goofy smile. He touched Dean’s thigh gently as he edged closer to him and Roman.

“Hey”

“I’m not dead”

“No shit, babe" Seth laughed and hit Dean’s leg lightly “you’ve only been out a week, don’t go acting like you’ve seen god or whatever – Finn tried that one when he woke up”

“Fuck, no… It was just kind of dark” Dean tilted his head back with a frown “I heard you guys the whole time so I just assumed it was my consciousness or whatever trying to make me feel good”

“That’s cute and all, Dean, but it’s actually that every single person that came to see you wouldn’t shut up” Roman chuckled. He smiled softly at him, his thumb stroking across Dean’s knuckles as he talked.

“Nikki didn’t shut up the whole time she was in here with you, I swear she only took breaks to breath when she was about to pass out”

Dean could have stayed where he was forever. The pain was annoying, but the two men with him made that kind of thing hardly matter. To be alive with people he loved was enough for him.

It was ruined by doctors bumbling in and making Roman and Seth leave.

He talked for what seemed like hours about pain relief with the doctor, trying to convince them that it really wasn’t all that bad. However, pretending being shot didn’t hurt and arguing about the fact was apparently something that made him the doctor’s favourite patient. The guy was very happy to sit with Dean and listen to him try to convince him with shoddy logic.

The guy was no-nonsense, which was something Dean could get behind. He told Dean that he could discharge himself, get his wound infected, and end up with a worse situation on his hands, or he could sit there and get the medical help he needed. Besides, the doctor told him, if an infection or complication didn’t get him, Charlotte Flair would.

It became quickly apparent that they had become somewhat high-profile in the hospital, even though nobody really knew who they were. Everyone knew Charlotte Flair’s face and her constant parading in and out of different private rooms while wheeling her fiancée around did nothing to keep a low profile.

“Fiancée?” Dean questioned the doctor.

“Engaged right in the hospital bed, made half the attending staff swoon” The doctor chuckled and reached up to adjust Dean’s IV “They’ll be in to see you soon, no doubt… you’re a popular man Mr Ambrose, but you need to rest”

“Can Roman and Seth come back in now? I feel like-”

“Sleep, Dean”

Dean sighed and closed his eyes. The painkillers put him to sleep before he could argue. He hated hospitals.

Dean slept far better than he had in a long time. It was a warm sleep that made him forget about the aching of his body. His mind got a good rest too, he didn’t dream or see visions of his friends’ faces in the black of his mind. It was just dark. A thief’s dark. The sound of loud laughter woke him up, making him wince.

Nikki sat cross-legged on the end of the bed, gesturing wildly as she told a story to the rest of the room. Sanity sat on the floor below her, smiling up at her as she talked. Eric had his head on Killian’s shoulder. He looked like he was half asleep, his eyes half-lidded but full of adoration for Cross as she talked. Alexander was sprawled out, his head resting on Eric’s thigh as he smiled up at the roof. Dean shifted to sit up slowly, a hand coming to help him from the other side.

“Hey, hey, take your time!” Roman said quietly, using his one good arm to prop pillows up behind Dean. He and Seth were sharing a space on the bed, squeezed together to save space for Finn who was on the floor, leaning his head back against the mattress as he fidgeted with a Rubik’s cube.

“Dean!” Nikki shrieked, throwing herself at Dean with a wide, sharp smile. His little sister caught him in a tight hug, burying her face into his neck. He barely had time to brace himself against her onslaught before she was attempting to squeeze the life out of him “Missed you”

“Jesus Nikki, yer gonnae kill the lad, watch your arms!” Becky groaned. Dean tilted his head. Becky sat in a wheelchair, her hair a bright red mess that she’d tried to pull back into a ponytail. Charlotte perched on the windowsill behind her like some sort of guardian angel. Nikki withdrew carefully and settled for patting Dean’s forehead. Becky grinned “Hey there, Deano, yer looking shite”

“Thanks, Becks, making me feel great”

“’s what I’m here for, pal! Char, can you… y’know?” Becky asked, giving Charlotte her best smile. Charlotte rolled her eyes and hopped down off the windowsill to roll Becky closer to the bed. Lynch tilted her head back and Charlotte leant down to kiss her softly “Thanks, angel” 

“You’re not lookin’ any better than me anyway, Lynch”

Becky chuckled and lifted her shirt to show off a large patch of medical gauze covering half of her stomach.

“Yeah, yeah, I had t’ match yer wounds Dean so you wouldn’t bitch, though you hit yer head pretty hard when Roman was trying to get you and Seth out and I didn’t get a chance t’ do that before Charlotte dragged us out” Becky laughed. Dean grinned and reached up to run a hand through his hair. For most of their lives, the two had compared training schedules and wounds. Becky leant forward, leaning her elbows on the bed “You’ve had more guests than a zoo in here trying t’ see you”

“God, you know I only like visitors when I look good, Becks!”

“Ah don’t think aw the people that came to see you cared how you looked” Nikki stated matter-of-factly as she curled up at the bottom of the bed, watching Dean with a wide grin. She held up her fingers as she began to count off visitors in a sing-song voice “Kev and Sami, Lita and Trish, Regal and Shawn an’ Steve, Aleister and Velv-“

“-Nikki, what were those last ones?”

“Aleister and Velveteen?”

“No, before that”

“Oh! Regal! Yeah, he came all the way from England with Shawn an’ Steve after he heard that everything wis happening – He brought me tablet! Ah haveny had proper tablet since ah moved over here, it was like home!”

Nikki kept talking and Dean zoned out. Regal was actually there, with Shawn and Stone Cold. He hadn’t really considered that half the things that he’d thought about while he was under were true. He’d pieced together that half of it was, but he hadn’t thought that Kevin or Sami had actually been to see him, never mind the old guard coming back.   
The fact they were back was good. It meant that Hunter was… dead? Maybe. Nobody had talked to him about it yet and he didn’t feel like asking. Everyone seemed happy and he didn’t exactly want to ruin it by mentioning him.

He blinked as he tried to tune back into what they had moved on to talking about. Seth was looking at him with a look Dean couldn’t read properly. He thought he’d gotten good at reading Roman and Seth. Maybe the meds were making him hazy. He raised his eyebrows in response, tilting his head to the side to challenge him.

“Do you… want a drink?” Seth asked, patting the bedside table. Dean nodded and grinned, chastising himself for thinking anything was wrong. His brain was clearly still trying to play catch up. Everything was fine.

*

The wind blowing through the courtyard was cold. Dean wrapped his arms tighter around his body and leant forward to take a drag of his cigarette. This was his new alone time in the hospital. The doctors had all but cleared him pending on the results of his next blood test. His doctor wasn’t happy he was smoking, but he was pretty glad that Dean was leaving his bed. He glanced around the small square, filled with plants and benches but no people. The weather was on the turn and nobody wanted to risk it apart from Dean.   
He knew Roman and Seth were nearby, inside the little hospital café that stared out into the courtyard, keeping an eye on him. They had been by his side most of the time he was in his room when the doctors would let them in. Having them there was a comfort that Dean was going to miss when everyone decided it was all over. 

And it was so close to being over. The prospect of everyone leaving was very real now. Charlotte and Becky getting married was probably the last time they’d all be together and considering Becky was up and walking without aid, it wouldn’t be long now. Saying Becky was just walking was an understatement. She showed him a video of her in her gym doing pull-ups. She was alive and kicking. Dean’s physio sessions were mostly making sure he could still walk. As soon as he got himself back into a gym he was going to push himself till he collapsed on the floor. 

He rubbed a hand over his hip. He was lucky that Hunter had a bad angle, the bullet entered his hip and went almost vertically down before burying itself in the top of his thigh. It just missed the femoral artery apparently. Still hurt. He stretched out his leg and wiggled his foot around in slow circles. His head had cleared up considerably as well, the grogginess had worn off as they weaned him off of pain meds, and any side effects from him hitting his head were minimal. He wasn't smelling burnt toast or whatever, so he assumed he was fine.

“Hello, Dean” 

A crisp voice broke through Dean’s inner monologue and he jerked his head up. In front of him stood the closest thing to a father Dean had ever had. Regal was wearing a navy blue suit that was crisply ironed to perfection. He sat down beside him on the bench, neatly folding his hands on his lap.

“Hey” Dean mumbled quietly.

“What have I told you about smoking?”

“Don’t do it where you can see it? Or was it don't smoke next to my suits?”

Regal laughed and seemed to relax against the back of the bench. Dean turned to face his mentor, throwing his cigarette to the floor and crushing it under the toe of his sneakers. Regal had a half-smile on his face as he watched Dean. Deep in thought, Dean realised, as the man ran a hand through his hair. He’d never thought of his own tendency to mess with his hair as coming from his guardian but it was plain as day.

“Congratulations, by the way, I heard you were quite impressive,” Regal said slowly, the hint of a smile never quite leaving his face “Although you’ve probably heard that from about a hundred different people today alone, but I really do mean it”

“Thanks, I… just did what I had to” Dean felt himself flush and he looked down.

Even after the distance between them, that was quite literally an ocean, and the years that had passed since the last time they saw each other face to face, he still cared deeply about how Regal perceived him. He hoped he’d grown into the kind of man Regal had always wanted him to be.

“You know, Dean, I had a lot of time to think while I was away and I… I’m still sorry I never brought you with me, away from all this” The older man looked down at his hands, his knuckles whitening as he tensed his fists “I can’t help but feel this was our fault, we caused him, you know. We pushed him to be the monster he is today”

“I mean… You couldn’t have known” Dean tried but Regal simply laughed.

“Do you think Stephanie would have asked him to do it if she didn’t see that glimmer of ruthlessness in him? But she wasn’t entirely to blame, of course. Ric, Shawn and I were attracted to power when we were young, we had… the world in the palms of our hands and he chose to crush it” He exhaled through his nose, caught between reminiscing and the present “I think Steve was the only one of us to see it all along, never liked the power he had much… I assume he just went along with it to keep us happy” 

“You were young and dumb, you did what you thought was the right thing”

“We were not that young, Dean, you forget it’s only been 18, 19 years since Vince, We were old enough to know better” He stopped his quiet reflection and turned back to Dean “I’m glad you knew better for us, I’m glad we raised you all to do better than we could”

Dean shifted a little uncomfortably. As much as he admired his mentor, the man had rose-coloured glasses on and he talked to Dean like he was still a child. Sure, they did better than them, but it wasn’t hard to not become the villains in their own stories. They didn’t raise them to do better, it was the choices they made as adults that had changed them for the good.

“No offence, but you can’t waltz in here and take credit for what we turned into, you did the damage and we had to clean it up – Becky almost died! Seth can hardly walk! We were going to kill ourselves trying to fix what you did!”

Regal looked downwards, a look of what looked like embarrassment on his face. No, Dean decided as he edged closer to his mentor, it was sadness. 

“No… You could have died, Dean, I know… I should have been here but I was too stubbornly sure you were ready”

Stubborn described him to a T. It irked Dean to know that Regal’s stubbornness and pride was the thing that had made him lose so much of his life. Regal didn’t seem to care if Dean lived or died, it was only good when he was useful and changing the world.

“I could have died a long time ago, you just chose now to care, sir” Dean spat out the word sir like it was poison. Regal flinched visibly and closed his eyes as Dean continued “You chose to care when I was useful and now I’m messed up again, so you can go!”

“Dean… It’s not like that at all”

“Then what is it like, William?”

“I care for you deeply, Dean, as if you are my real child… when I was in England I spent years convincing myself that I did the right thing until I thought I did” Regal sighed quietly. He kept his eyes closed like it was painful to be honest with Dean “Callihan’s drive was the straw that broke the camel’s back, perhaps I believed for a while that you would be safe without me but in the end… I should have known, I would have been here sooner but I had other people to think about”

“Your school or whatever?”

“I made so many mistakes with you, Dean, I did so many wrong things to you and you made me a better person for it, I learnt to stop abandoning people” Regal placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder “You’re my son, Dean. You may not be my own flesh and blood, but you’re the closest thing to it and I promise for the rest of my life I will never abandon you again, that doesn’t mean I’ll always be right next to you but I’ll be here for you. You are my son, Dean, whether you like it or not”

Dean could feel tears welling in his eyes as he threw his arms around his mentor. Regal exhaled and wrapped his arms around him. Dean buried his face into the deep blue suit jacket, inhaling Regal’s cologne for the first time in years. He felt like he’d just woken up from a nightmare and his dad, his real adoptive father, was there to comfort him. Regal tightened his grip on the back of Dean’s t-shirt, rocking him back and forward quietly.

“Colour?”

“Yellow”

Happy. Complete.

Dean pulled back from Regal, wiping his eyes. Regal was fighting back his own tears, looking at Dean with pride so overwhelming that Dean could almost taste it. He patted Dean’s shoulder lightly.

“Perhaps we should be getting inside? Maybe you can introduce me to your… friends”

“Y-yeah… sounds good”


	26. Happier

Dean’s release from hospital couldn’t come soon enough. All his energy was getting more and more pent up and he couldn’t talk about anything that happened while he was under observation. The closest he got was Alexander telling him that Eric had thrown three of the monitors when he realised he’d lost all the feeds following them and Killian had to drag him outside to breathe. Otherwise, everyone wanted to talk about something else. Seth was especially guilty for completely changing the subject when Dean asked, glancing away and declaring in a loud voice that the weather was nice.

When he finally got discharged, Seth and Roman were waiting on him outside his room like a pair of security guards. Seth was still on crutches for his ligament damage but Roman’s sling was long gone. Apparently, he’d dislocated his shoulder and Charlotte had convinced him to stay in until he started physio and could take the sling off.

“Good to go?” Roman asked, nodding his head towards the reception. Dean shouldered his bag and took a deep breath. The real world was waiting outside of the doors and it wasn’t going to stay on pause forever.

Charlotte and Becky’s wedding was fast approaching. Charlotte had the entire event planned out less than a week after Dean had woken up. It was crazy until he’d remembered that the pair of them been waiting years to actually get married without the threat of Hunter looming over them. A summer wedding in the park. It was the stuff of fairy tales and it was finally happening for them. But there were other things to get back to.

“Hell yeah, big dog, let’s get outta here, I miss my bed”

They made their way to the car and Dean helped Seth in, holding the door for him. Seth rolled his eyes dramatically as he flopped in, throwing up his middle finger. Dean stuck out his tongue and climbed into the front.

“So, my apartment is-“

“Come home with us” Seth blurted out. Dean jumped, staring at him in the rear-view mirror. Seth looked down at his lap with a nervous smile “We’re planning on staying here and we… I mean, me and Ro’, not Finn – He wants to get his own place, it’s our old safe house and… I mean, it’s only if you wanna though”

“You’re staying here?” Dean asked with a slight look of surprise. Seth laughed.

“Yeah, dumbass, that’s what I said”

“No… but you’re actually staying? Like, no offence, but if I was you guys I’d want to leave here, there’s no reason for you to stay” Dean said quietly “I’m only here ‘cause this is the only place I know, you have the whole world”

The city was changing yet again. Another seismic shift that Dean, Becky and Charlotte would live through. There was no reason for Roman, Seth or even Finn to stay. They were guns for hire and the Fatales didn’t need to hire any more guns when they had the city in the palms of their hands. Dean also doubted that Aleister or Velveteen would ever need to use brute force to keep control now that both Hunter and DIY were out of the picture. 

“Yeah, that was the plan… but priorities changed” Roman started the car and pulled out of the hospital’s parking lot “We’re gonna set up a bit of an alliance with the Fatales and then work globally with Becky and Charlotte, it makes sense for us, all of us”

Dean nodded along. Roman was right, setting up in a city where you’d be protected no matter what with an already established business like the Fatales was a dream come true. Still, staying here… he’d always imagined that Seth and Roman leave his life as quickly as they’d come into it, he didn’t dare to imagine that either of them would stick around.   
Nobody tended to stick around for Dean. He could feel a sick feeling rising from his stomach. He swallowed it back and turned to look out of the window.

“So? What do you say?” Seth asked. His voice was full of excitement and expectation. Dean pressed his head against the window.

“Uh… So, my apartment’s address…”

“Dean?” Seth was pleading, something that made Dean feel deeply uncomfortable. Every time he did, he saw the panicked eyes he’d saw in Hunter’s office. Roman sighed and glanced at the man in the backseat. 

“Seth, we talked about this, if Dean doesn’t want to, he doesn’t have to-”

“I’m still here” Dean grumbled. Roman laughed and reached over to pat his leg gently “I just wanna go home, like… get myself back to normal, you know?”

Seth and Roman reluctantly agreed and Dean gave them his address. As much as he’d probably love to spend every day with Roman and Seth, he had to come back to reality at some point.

The drive took them back to the neighbourhoods Dean loved, the ones like where he’d grown up, and it was obvious neither Roman nor Seth had expected it. Considering that Becky and Charlotte lived in a fancy apartment, it was clear that maybe they’d expected the same from Dean. He could have done it if he’d dug into the money that Regal had insisted on saving for him and the extras that appeared with the candy that appeared on his doorstep every now and again. He never did. He just let everything stay in his side bank account that he saved for emergencies. 

His building was as normal as it’d ever been. It was as if he’d never been away. Roman and Seth followed him in. They nodded a polite hello to the guy in the apartment opposite him who was shuffling out to get his mail. He was just about to shove his key into the lock on his apartment door when he saw the paper.

‘NOTICE OF EVICTION’

Dean cursed under his breath and tore it down to read it before Seth or Roman could see it, his eyes scanning each line quickly. Clearly, his normal bank account had run dry. It was dated for a month or so prior, giving him the usual 2 months’ notice to get his shit and get out. He balled the paper up and slid it into his hoodie pocket, taking a deep breath. Okay, maybe his apartment wasn’t a viable option anymore.

He pushed his key into the lock and turned it. The room was dark and just as he’d left it when he’d stumbled into Hunter. It was like a time capsule as he flicked the light. At least most of his stuff was still packed. Filched books and old clothes were in boxes he hadn’t looked into in years. He had never really moved into his apartment, just lived there in the remains of his past life. He dipped his hand into the closest box to pull out a picture of himself and Regal he’d stolen from the mansion when he’d finally moved. This place had never really been his. He turned around towards the two who were just coming into the room, a nervous smile on his face as he clutched the frame in one hand.

“Is the offer to move in still open?”

*

Dean sat on the bed with his legs crossed as he studied his leather jacket. He fidgeted with the lining on the inside, poking his fingers into a hole in the black silky fabric. It’d survived 10 years of beatings and now it was starting to give up the ghost. He threw himself backwards with a sigh. He’d get around to fixing it. It was basically a Flair heirloom at this point and he wasn’t going to let it die.

He fished in the pocket for Roman’s knife. He hadn’t got the chance to give it back yet. Roman was always so busy taking Seth to doctor’s appointments or meeting with Charlotte and Becky with Finn that Dean had hardly seen him. Dean, meanwhile, hung out in the Fatale gym for most of his day until someone (Usually Naomi or Bayley) told him to go home. He flicked the blade in and out while he thought. It felt so comfortable in his hand. Maybe he would get a replica, but Dean had a feeling that the comfort it brought to him wouldn’t be the same.

A soft knock at his door broke him out of his trance.

“Yeah?”

It opened slowly and soft light from the hallway leaked into Dean’s dark room. Charlotte Flair stood in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest as she stared at Dean’s shape on the bed.

“Hey, can I come in for a sec?”

“Sure, what’s up, Char?” Dean sat up and shuffled over to let Charlotte join him. She plopped herself down on the bed and immediately reached for the leather jacket with a smile.

“This still fits you?”

“Sorta, I mean, It was too big when y’ gave it to me so I’ve grown into it” Dean shrugged.

Charlotte chucked as she studied the battered leather. She ran her fingers over the material as if it would give her its secrets to the universe. With a contented sigh, she dropped it gently onto the bed, before turning to look at Dean.

“I wanted to talk to you, just you, so we’re not in front of anyone-“

“I’m not pregnant, Char, I’m just bloated” Dean quipped. Charlotte groaned and reached out to punch his arm lightly. He feigned pain and threw himself back on the bed with a desperate “I’m sorry! Charlotte! I take it back, don’t kill me!”

“Come on, dumbass, sit up and let me talk to you” She laughed, offering a hand for Dean. He took it and she hauled him up to sit up. He scooted closer to Charlotte, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees.

“Shoot, Flair”

She took a deep breath, thinking for a moment as she looked at her friend.

“Both Hunter and Stephanie… escaped, I say escape but we didn’t particularly try to secure them after Finn’s charges went off”

Dean swallowed and looked down at his legs. Alive. Both of them were alive. The job was a bust, but he’d been sure that he couldn’t have killed Hunter with just a good stab to the gut. Hell, he was pretty sure that he was nowhere near anything major to cause damage to the man when he’d plunged his knife deep into his stomach. He felt conflicted. He didn’t want Stephanie or Hunter’s blood on his hands but he didn’t want them roaming free.

“Don’t look so sad… it’s an out for them, they’re not coming back”

“How do you know?”

“Stephanie told us herself, well, she told Regal who told me" Charlotte paused, deep in thought for a minute “Do you know she fed Hunter false information about Regal, Shaun and Steve for years and kept us as hidden as she could until we set up the Fatales and you started working?”

“I kinda knew about Regal, he hinted a couple of times that he still talked to her”

Charlotte stared at him with a slight look of confusion.

“How could you know that?”

9 years of secret gifts and occasional phone calls. He always knew it was going to come to light, but now he wasn’t so terrified of it putting him in danger.

“He used to call me… he sent me gifts sometimes, I didn’t want to let you guys know, I guess… I was scared that you guys would think that I’d abandon you to run away with him” Dean said quietly as he fidgeted with his hands.

There was a beat of silence before Charlotte threw her arms around him. He held him tightly, laughing quietly to herself.

“Dean, you are… too thoughtful for your own good sometimes” She said quietly before pulling away from him with a smile “We should go break the news that Hunter isn’t dead to everyone… Nikki’s itching to see you”

“You sure know how to make a guy’s day, Charlotte”

“I know, I’m basically your hero”

Downstairs, he sat wedged between Nikki, who was sat on Killian’s lap, and Roman, listening to Charlotte talk. She was clear with them all that Hunter was no longer an issue and would never be again. It was reassuring to just hear her talk. She had the kind of presence that Dean could only dream of having. He closed his eyes as he listened to her field questions from Roman and Finn about the viability of their operation with Hunter at large, using words that Dean didn’t really try to understand. The return to normality was enough for him. He opened his eyes to look at everyone else assembled in the room. 

They were happy. After everything they’d been through, battered and bruised, they were happy. 

Becky just seemed in high spirits as she listened to her fiancée talk. When Charlotte finally stopped, Becky stood up and patted the chair to let her sit down.

“So, as yer all aware, we’re getting married”

“Aye and am no allowed to dae the music” Nikki grumbled. Killian laughed and pressed his face against the back of her neck.

“Yeah, cause ye want to jus’ make the organ noises with yer mouth” He muttered in return. Nikki pouted, letting out a loud huff of air. Dean sniggered and Becky gave him her death stare which only made him laugh louder. Roman rolled his eyes and nudged his arm lightly. 

“Go on, Becks, we’re listening”

“So, it’s gonna be a bit of an unconventional wedding, and we’ve been thinking real hard about what we want to do in terms of a wedding party” Becky ran a hand through her hair nervously “Of course, yer aw our lads and lasses so we can’t cut any of you… so uh, we’re just gonnae have you all”

“Wait, what?” Dean asked with a grin, leaning forward “Sure about this one Becks, because you know we cause trouble when we’re all together”

“Trouble’s what we like, Deano, I wouldn’t get married without you all makin’ a mess and being beside us” Becky smiled at her friend. Dean settled back and Roman slid an arm around his waist. 

Life was good.

*

Afternoons with Roman and Seth, hauled up on the couch watching Dean’s favourite movies from the depths of his packing box, were becoming more and more common. It was Dean’s favourite part about living with them both. They still only happened when nobody was busy but it was good enough considering Dean hadn’t really had that kind of contact since Sanity and before that Charlotte and Becky. It worked as a good way to settle in together as a unit and put Dean’s fears of being kicked out to rest.

Seth spent half the time watching the movie with his head on Dean’s lap, where Dean got to put the braiding skills he’d learned with Nikki to good use, and his leg propped up on a cushion on top of Roman, and the other half falling asleep. It wasn’t unusual for him to wake up 5 minutes before the end of the movie and pretend that he remembered everything that happened. Roman and Dean would roll their eyes in unison and listen to his attempts to thread scant plot details together.

When he was asleep, Dean couldn’t help but get distracted by how soft his face looked. The small flutters of his eyelashes as he dreamt were practically hypnotic. He stroked a hand through the dark brown curls fanned out on his lap, completely entranced by Seth in every single way. 

“Deano, are you even watching the movie?” Roman asked with a small chuckle. Dean started and turned his head to look at Roman. He was staring at him with an amused expression and Dean rolled his eyes and nodded.

“Yeah, I am”

“Liar, Liar, baby boy”

Dean stuck out his tongue and pulled his hand away from Seth’s hair. The man stirred in his sleep and made a small noise of complaint at the loss of contact but didn’t wake up. Dean gave a small sigh of relief, thankful that he hadn’t woken him up. Roman stroked a hand over the curls of hair at the base of Dean’s neck softly to catch his attention.  
“Dean, do you ever think…” Roman stopped himself short and took a deep breath, changing the topic entirely it seemed “Have you got a chance to go see Kevin and Sami yet?”

Dean shook his head slowly “Nah, I keep… thinking about it but I… they saw me in that hospital bed and that’s gonna fuck them both up, Kevin’s gonna be so fucking mad at me, man”

“No he’s not, don’t be stupid”

“You don’t know Kevin Owens, Roman, he gets angry first, sad later” Dean muttered “He doesn’t like to be powerless, he’s going to kill someone”

Kevin got mad at the world for Dean more than once. Angry that he’d ever been made to feel lost or confused. He swore up and down a million times that if they’d grown up together, Kevin would have protected Dean. Sami was the one who tended to hold Dean’s hand and tell him that he was okay in the then and now. They balanced each other well, but Dean had told the doctors to refuse both of them. He didn’t want to see Sami’s face when he found out what had really happened or Kevin’s righteous anger at everyone who’d let Dean walk in there.

“But you’re alive”

“Kevin needs someone to blame so he’s gonna be mad at me for getting hurt in the first place, he’s protective”

Roman’s fingers curled in Dean’s hair, leaning in close to press their foreheads together.

“If Kevin wants to blame someone, he can blame me, got it, babe? It was my fault you got hurt in the first place” Roman said softly, his eyes flicking between Dean’s eyes and Seth’s sleeping form “It’s my fault you both got hurt, so if he wants a fight, he can bring it to me”

“It’s not your fault, we knew what we were getting into” Dean whispered back “If you’re seriously blaming yourself for me throwing myself at Hunter, you’re gonna be disappointed with the rest of the shit I’m gonna pull”

His attempt to lighten the mood didn’t seem to work and Roman sighed.

“I don’t want to see you both get hurt again, especially when I couldn’t do anything… when he… I just can’t think about what happened without going back there again” Roman said slowly. He swallowed and went to move back but Dean reached up to bury his hand in Roman’s hair to keep him close.

“The only time we’re not gonna be hurt is if you bubble wrap us, Roman”

“I might try,” He said with a small laugh. Dean smiled and let go of Roman, reaching down to touch his shoulder softly.

“I dare him to try it” Seth butted in, reaching a hand up to bat at Roman with a grin. 

“Oh good morning, princess, nice of you to join us” Roman grabbed Seth’s hand and pressed his face against it with a smile “I wouldn’t dare try to bubble wrap you, for my sake”

“I got cat-like reflexes” Seth agreed before pulling his hand away from Roman. He sat up slightly, grabbing a pillow to wedge between his back and Dean’s lap to get comfortable. Dean settled back, resigned to his fate of being Seth’s new favourite chair.

He half-listened to the tv and half to Roman and Seth as they talked quietly, Roman stroking his thumb in slow circles over Seth’s thigh. He tried not to look but the action was distracting, soft and sweet, and he found himself watching the TV less and less as it went on. Roman stopped abruptly and he moved his hands away, folding his arms guiltily. Seth frowned, looking up at Roman with puppy dog eyes.

“Ro?”

“Later, yeah?” He patted Seth’s leg gently “I said I’d take Dean to the gym”

Dean started and swivelled his head, looking at Roman with surprise. He’d only briefly mentioned wanting to head to the gym to Roman while he was trying to tempt Scout to eat the new dog food that Seth had insisted on buying. He hadn’t actually thought that Roman was listening to him. He’d assumed the ‘mhm, yeah, we should’ was dismissal as Roman attempted to focus on some financial stuff that Naomi had dropped off for them.

Seth groaned and shifted his legs off of Roman’s lap, pulling a face. Roman edged over to give him room to sit up, hauling him up to a sitting position by the arm.

“Can I come? I won’t do anything the physio said I shouldn’t”

Dean rested his head on Seth’s shoulder, peering at Roman with a smirk.

“I’ll get the bubble wrap”


	27. Us Against the World

Dean ran until the air in his lungs was all that mattered to him. He was faintly aware of Seth and Roman in the gym somewhere around him in the gym, but it didn’t matter. One day he’d go back to Vegas and run till everything felt right again, but Becky’s gym would do for now. His hip was still killing him but the feeling was worth it as he slammed the cooldown button and felt his chest suck in a sharp breath of air. 

He rolled from station to station, the constant ache unable to deter him from his activities. He did his best to ignore Seth looking concerned as he moved past him towards the punching bag. It wasn’t worth stopping for. He felt the best he had in weeks.

Fatales filtered in and out like the ebb and flow of the tide, joining him in workouts when Roman wasn’t trying to mother hen him or was busy with Seth. It was easy enough to slot in with them. None of the women were that bothered by the fact Dean was one of Becky and Charlotte’s closest friends, or that he had just helped take down Hunter. He was just Dean and that was all that mattered when they were practising takedowns together. It was a much-needed trip back to reality.

“Ambrose, wanna lock up?” Asked a voice behind him. He almost froze up, a jolt of terror running up his spine. He turned slowly to face Sasha Banks. 

She was smiling at him as if she hadn’t nearly killed him. He stared unblinking at her, the hair framing her face was a brightly coloured frizzy mess and she had a sheen of sweat on her forehead that made her look like she was glowing in the light of the gym.

“Hey! Earth to Dean!” Bayley seemed just as happy, clutching Sasha’s arm. It was enough to break Dean from his shock.

“What the fuck is she doing here?”

Sasha swallowed and twisted her arm out of Bayley’s grip “Come on, babe, I knew… I should have just stayed home… I-“

“No, Sasha… hold on” Bayley grabbed at Sasha’s hand and pulled her back to her. She fixed Dean with a glare the likes of which he’d never seen come from her “Dean, my girlfriend gets to go where I go, Becky said it was fine”

Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. 

He wanted to hold Sasha accountable for everything. He desperately wanted to have someone besides himself to punish for everything that had happened to them, to the city. She’d stood beside Hunter and, with the man himself not around to blame, she seemed like the easiest target aside from McIntyre who he still couldn’t pin down. He needed to have someone to blame… the alternative of having nobody to take up the mantle of the ‘big bad’ in Dean’s life just left a gaping hole of pain he was sure he could never stitch closed. He wasn’t sure what moving on would mean for him. 

But he knew the world had more than him in it.

Dean opened his eyes and smiled slightly.

“Yeah, sure, let’s go”

“Don’t kill each other, please” Bayley laughed and pressed a kiss to Sasha’s forehead before dropping her hand “I’m going to go see if Naomi will lock up with me”

Bayley disappeared and Sasha smiled, stepping forward and offering him her hand to shake.

“Truce, then?”

“Sure, let’s go”

He went to grab her hand and she dragged him to the floor with ease. He started to laugh, staring up at the woman who’d tried to kill him and she did nothing but smile back. Sasha was crafty. Their styles matched up in a weird way and she was nowhere near as robotic as he’d assumed she would be after so long with Hunter. They flowed well together and he struggled to get a clear upper hand against her.

They wrestled to the floor and Sasha managed to twist around, locking her hands under his chin and pulling. The weight on his still sore hip and the pull on his neck was enough for him to tap out. The pair of them broke apart, grinning at each other.

Sasha pushed herself up onto her feet and offered Dean a hand.

“That was fun,” She said with a smile as he grabbed her hand. She hauled him to his feet and he brushed himself down “We have to do that again sometime, yeah?”

“Of course, I’m down, just let me heal up so I can beat you next time”

She rolled her eyes and folded her arms “Sure, it’s the hip and that’s all, not that I’m super talented or anything, right?”

Dean laughed and shrugged. Sasha was talented, he’d admit it, but he knew he’d probably have put up a better fight if he was 100%.

“Yeah, you’re good but next time… I’ll last a couple more seconds before you choke me out”

Sasha grinned and headed off to find Bayley, leaving him alone to do a cool down. He was in his own little world as he finished up headed to the locker room to shower up and change. He felt like it was the first time he’d actually achieved something and enjoyed a work out since before the job. His hip hurt but it was the last thing on his mind as he got into the showers, the ache in his muscles was a pleasant reminder that he was still alive.

He relaxed under the warm water, watching it drain away on the floor. Things had been smooth sailing since he’d moved in If he thought about it. The feelings he felt hadn’t lessened but they’d gotten easier to deal with since then. With any luck after Charlotte and Becky’s wedding, he’d move out… go somewhere else. Moving in with Seth and Roman had never been a permanent solution for him. Regal had offered a job if he would move to England and work alongside him, Steve and Shawn but he wasn’t sure how appealing the idea was. The fresh start would be nice but he wasn’t sure if he could leave any of his friends behind.

Loyalty had him tied to the city.

The sound of the shower turning on in the stall next to him reminded him that he needed to move. He headed out to change back into his clothes, sinking into his hoodie like a second skin. He’d head outside and smoke then find Roman and Seth. 

He did a last minute check before heading out. He found a comfortable bench and settled down, humming to himself as he lit his cigarette. It was a nice night out, people passing him as they headed to the bars that dotted the street. It was great to watch people. People who had no idea what he’d been involved in and how close the city had come to collapse. 

Someone sat down next to him in his peripheral and he shifted over to give them more room. It took a second before he recognised who it was.

“Fancy meeting you here,” Seth said softly, looking over at Dean with a small smile. 

“Almost like we drove here together” Dean laughed as he exhaled. Seth shrugged and leant forward “What’re you doin’ out here? Wasn’t Roman making sure you didn’t do anything dumb?”

“I’m determined” Seth adjusted his t-shirt and reached up to fix his hair with one hand “I told him I’d come out and sit with you and keep you company but I just didn’t wanna have to sit in the locker room till he was done”

“Hey, takes a lot to look that good” Dean chuckled and Seth made a noise of agreement “You looked good… In the gym, I mean, not that you don’t look good normally, but you looked like you were getting more done than you have been”

“I get what you mean, babe, it felt good but this knee is going to be the death of me” He tapped his knee lightly with a sigh “You though… I saw you lock up with Sasha, you looked alive, it was… you looked like yourself, Dean” Seth paused, considering Dean with a small smile “You looked so perfectly you”

Dean laughed quietly, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. He could feel the blush building on his cheeks. Seth had a talent at making him blush with the weirdest compliments. He had no idea what he meant by the fact that he looked like himself. He felt different, sure, but he didn’t think it was really noticeable and he didn’t even know if he actually liked this version of himself either yet.

“Thanks… I think”

He stubbed out his cigarette and Seth shuffled closer to him. Seth laid his head on his shoulder and grabbed his hand to give it a soft squeeze “I meant it as a compliment, dumbass” 

“I know, I just… don’t know if I like the fact that I’ve changed”

Seth immediately lifted his head from his shoulder, staring at him with wide eyes.

“We’ve all changed, babe… none of us are the same anymore and maybe that’s a good thing” He said softly, reaching up to brush a curl of Dean’s hair back from his forehead “But you looked good, like you were at peace with yourself and I… was almost jealous”

Dean swallowed and nodded. He got it.

“You’re going to be fine, Seth… It won’t take long till you’re back up” Dean edged slightly closer to grab Seth’s other hand, stroking his thumbs over his knuckles “Don’t worry about it, seriously, I’m here for you-“

“You’re starting to sound like Roman”

“Well maybe he’s right” Dean grumbled. Despite this, he continued his comforting touches to Seth’s hands, trying to be as soft as possible with him “I’m not feeding you bullshit, babe, you’re going to be fine soon, babe”

Seth tugged on his lower lip, looking slightly disbelievingly at Dean. Finally, he sighed and nodded.

“Yeah probably” He pulled his hands from Dean’s and leant back, stretching his leg out in front of him. A silence passed between them as Dean fidgeted with his hoodie strings until Seth murmured a soft “Am I any use like this?”

Dean blinked in surprise, tilting his head to the side so fast he was pretty sure he was going to break his neck. Seth was staring off into the distance. His hands were tensed on his thighs, digging in past the soft material of his sweatpants hard enough to make his knuckles turn white. Dean quickly moved in to move his hands, worry building up in his system.

“Hey, hey, don’t, Seth, come on…” He placed a hand on his thigh, trying his best to comfort him “You don’t need jobs to be useful, you don’t need to be in perfect condition to be useful, hell you don’t even need to be useful! Me and Roman… you’re our boy, yeah?”

Seth laughed slightly “Your boy, yeah? I told you that you’ve been hanging out with Roman too much”

“Shut up, you know what I mean” Dean grumbled, folding his arms. It only served to make Seth laugh more. He slung an arm around Dean’s shoulders and pulled him in for a sideways hug, pressing his head against his shoulder as Dean continued his grumbling under his breath. It was comfortable to sit together, just relaxing in the cool night air. Seth nuzzled his way along Dean’s collarbone, humming softly.

Dean watched the crowds flow past, trying not to blush at the motion. It was comfortable, though, and he could feel himself start to relax against Seth until they were practically melting into each other.

They sat like that, wrapped up together until Roman emerged finally and they broke apart. The Samoan raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything, instead focusing on helping an indignant Seth to the car despite his reassurances that he didn’t need Roman to direct him anywhere. 

“Roman, I can walk places, I’m not incapable” He muttered as he lowered himself into the back seat, his slight wince betraying his pain. Dean dropped into the front seat, listening to Roman attempt to reason with Seth before he moved around to the driver’s side. Dean watched as Seth slumped back with a sigh, looking about as tired as Dean was starting to feel.

Dean leant his head against the glass, eyes un-focusing as they made their way back home. It was the kind of tired that enveloped him like a warm blanket. He’d help Seth make dinner then take Scout for a walk. It was domestic bliss. It was the unknown for Dean and maybe he was happy to explore it.

*

The sun was beating down hot on the grass in the back garden and the scent of Sami’s vegan barbecue was making Dean’s mouth water.

River volleyed the soccer ball at the red-brick garden wall behind him and Dean couldn’t make it in time to get his hand behind it to swat it away. The ball slammed into the wall with such force that Dean was actually pretty glad he didn’t make the save. The little girl grinned up at him, her gap-toothed smile making her whole face light up light the sun. She reminded him of Sami with her smile like that, only this mini-Sami was 3’10” with dark brown curls that were tied up messily in a bun.

“I nearly got you!” She laughed, running towards him and jumping up into his arms. He swung the giggling girl around, hoisting her up to sit on his hip. She reached a hand up to mess his hair. She was Zayn-Owens through and through, clearly “Uncle Deano, you can’t play soccer!”

“Yeah, yeah, kiddo, If you weren’t some sort of super 6-year-old soccer player I think I'd play better” He bounced her once more before giving one of the dark curls of her hair a soft tug “When you get an award for soccer, remember to thank me for training you”

She stuck her tongue out in response and Dean put her down. She took his hand and dragged him towards the deck where everyone was milling about watching them, shouting joyously to Kevin that “I beat Uncle Deano, easy peasy, daddy!”

“That’s my girl! Need to get you started on hockey soon but first, Let’s see what your papa’s been cooking up” Kevin scooped her up, his face a picture of delight. She nodded rapidly, her bun starting to fall out as she excitedly leant over Kevin’s shoulder towards Sami who was working at the grill.

River was amazing. Dean got why Kevin and Sami had fallen in love with her. She was smart and made Dean genuinely laugh. She was picking up Sami and Kevin’s little quirks too, doing an almost spot-on impression of Kevin’s business face when she gave Dean into trouble for trying to tempt Gucci in for a hug with treats that the cat wasn’t allowed.

He was maybe just a little jealous of how perfect his friend’s lives were. 

Dean was about to take a step back when he felt arms worm around his waist and a head land on his shoulder. 

“Roman got you a plate” Seth murmured, his breath had a hint of alcohol to it. He was walking without his crutches but his knee was still a work in progress. He was doing well though and Roman had stopped following him like a shadow “There’s also beer”

“I’m driving, Seth”

“No you’re not, liar” He muttered as he unwound from Dean “As if Roman will let you drive anywhere, you'd kill us all”

“Yeah? Well, I’m just not drinking, babe”

Seth pouted but seemed to take the excuse as being good enough. He pulled him over to where Roman was standing talking to one of Sami’s friends from the animal shelter, chatting like he was a completely average guy. His face broke out in a smile when he saw Seth and Dean approaching, scooping up a plate and proffering it to Dean.

“Got you a bit of everything, babe, wasn’t sure what you’d eat” He commented with a small shrug “It’s all really good though” 

Dean took the plate and picked up a kebab with a sceptical look before pulling a piece of bright red pepper off of the skewer. He popped it in his mouth and smiled. Sami was still one of the best chefs that Dean knew. The lunches he used to bring Kevin and him were still fresh in his memory as he swallowed.

“Sami is a fucking genius” Dean grinned. Seth picked a piece of tofu from Dean’s skewer and hopped up onto the glass table to eat it “Hey! Get your own!”

“Sharing is caring!” Seth quipped back. Dean just rolled his eyes and turned to talk with Sami’s co-worker while Seth picked at his and Roman’s plates of food.

The conversation veered back to work and Dean almost choked when the guy, Colt, asked him what he did for a living. Seth snorted and quirked his head to the side, trying to judge Dean’s response. Roman chuckled and wrapped an arm around Dean’s shoulder.

“I… work…”

“Security for Seth and I’s company” Roman filled in for him with a smile “Course, can’t talk much about it, top secret and all”

“Woah, Sami had mentioned you were working security or something, you worked for Kevin too, right? That’s how you met?”

“Yeah, when I was 18 or whatever, it’s been a while. Kevin gave me my first job and helped me find a place to live, I slept on his floor for a month” Dean supplied and Colt nodded “Fun job and Kevin really did give me a chance when I was really down on my luck but I had always planned to go into… security, so I had to leave the nest”

“A guy’s gotta leave his friend’s sex shop at some point in his life” Colt chuckled and folded his arms as he looked them over “So, how long have you guys been together?”

Seth sat bolt upright behind Roman, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. Roman unwound his arm from Dean’s shoulders and rubbed his hand over the back of his neck awkwardly.  
“Oh… we’re not… I get… we-“ Dean stumbled over his words which only made Colt laugh and shake his head.

“Nah, nah, sorry, I shouldn’t pry, don’t worry!” He waved a hand then looked over to where a couple of Sami’s other friends were “I better go talk to Sami anyway, I missed work yesterday because of my dog being sick so I’m gonna go excuse myself and stuff”

“Know that feeling man, was good to meet you” Dean grinned and shook the man’s hand. It was actually cool to meet Sami’s work friends. It wasn’t really something he got to do, especially considering his job was hard to explain to people who knew what he was. As soon as Colt was gone, Dean let out a laugh he didn’t know he’d been holding, turning to face a slightly embarrassed looking Roman and Seth “Hey, what’s your problems?”

“We… need to talk when we get home, yeah?” Roman said quietly, his eyes darting about. Dean assumed it must be Cerberus or Fatale related and shrugged it off, telling Roman that it was fine by him. Whatever it was, it had Roman and Seth nervous.

He spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening with Sami and River attempting to play hockey in the grass but Roman’s words hung over him like a cloud. He did his best to have fun though and River’s excitement as she scored against Sami was good enough to lift the cloud for just a little while. River threw herself onto Dean with a squeal and pumped her fist in the air excitedly.

“Jesus, Sami, she’s a natural, how many sports clubs have you got her in?”

“As many as she wants right now” Sami laughed as he got out of the makeshift goal. River reached for his hand, clinging onto it as if she’d never let go “She’s going to be a star”

“She’s already a star, ain’t you kiddo?” Dean grinned down at the girl who looked like she was trying to pull Sami’s arm off “Besides, with you two taking care of her, she’s gonna achieve anything she puts her mind to”

Sami looked at Dean with a small smile, looking him over.

“Yeah, you turned out fine”

*

The car ride was awkward for some reason that Dean couldn’t work out so he kept fidgeting with his phone, texting Nikki about the barbecue and attempting to send her pictures of him and River.

“I LOVE HER! CAN I MEET HER? SHE’S MY FAVOURITE I WANNA TEACH HER TO HACK! CANICANI?”

“Ask her dads”

“No fun! Wanna c what we did 2day????”

“Yeah pease niks”

“Pease”

“Shut up.”

A second later he was looking at the wall of Sanity’s apartment, but it had been… redecorated. Nikki and Eric posed proudly in front of their handiwork, a collage of newspaper clippings about them and photographs of them that they’d taken. Scrawled over the top in jet black paint were the words ‘Together’. He smiled fondly at his screen.

“Fucking amazing”

“Knew ud love it!!! :)”

Dean looked up, the house starting to come into view. He straightened up and glanced down to text Nikki back.

“got to go… home”

“ly!!! Say hi 2 scoutyscout <3<3!!”

“Will do”

“ly deano!!!”

“love u 2 Nikki”

He took a deep breath. Roman and Seth hadn’t even spoken to each other the whole ride, but he put it down to Seth being a little tipsy and Roman focusing on the road. Now, however, it felt worse and tenser than it had been between them since before Hunter. Maybe they were going to ask him to move out and find his own place. Maybe they didn’t want to work with him anymore. Whatever it was, it made Dean feel sick.

By the time they pulled up at the house, a million awful possibilities were rushing through his head.

Roman nudged Seth and they got out of the car, Dean following close behind. He continued his awkward fiddling with his phone as he headed into the living space. Seth split off towards the kitchen in clear search of coffee and Roman headed for the sofa. Scout was asleep on her doggy bed by the sofa, completely dead to the world. He managed to make it almost to the stairs before Roman called him back with a short “Dean, come here”

He stopped short, hand on the rail.

“Only if Seth makes me coffee too” He grumbled, turning to face Roman and the sofa.

“Already on it, Deano!” Seth called back cheerily. Dean took a deep breath to compose himself before throwing himself down on the right side of Roman. Roman seemed tense which only served to set Dean on edge. 

Seth managed to set down 2 cups of coffee for Roman and Dean, cradling his own to his chest protectively. Dean lifted his and curled back into the sofa, tucking his legs up under him as he took a sip. Roman didn’t touch his.

“So… am I only here cause you both think I’m not drinking enough coffee or…?”

Roman swallowed and Seth edged closer to him, working his way under Roman’s arm. They shared a silent look before Seth looked back at his coffee watching the dark liquid swirl.

“Okay, so if you’re not gonna talk, I’m gonna go up to my room and then-“ He stood up, but Roman caught his wrist gently. He looked up at Dean with a pleading expression that made his chest feel heavy “Fine, then tell me what’s up”

“Sit down, babe, please?” Roman asked.

Dean conceded and sat down, but Roman didn’t let go of his wrist. He shot him a questioning look and took a sip of his coffee. 

Seth sighed and unwound from Roman, moving to the other side of Dean. He rested his hand on Dean’s thigh, gently and tentatively as though he was testing the waters. It was weird. Dean froze, holding his breath.

“We… Dean, we’ve been through a lot… together” Seth said quietly, staring down at the flooring with a nervous look “And… I don’t know… I guess… Roman?”

“I think what Seth is trying to say is… we’ve kind of grown really close and I don’t know if you’re just ignoring it because you don’t want to discuss it or-“

Dean frowned “If this is about Hunter, it’s fine, Becky’s talking about therapy…” He trailed off, looking at the disbelieving looking smile on Seth’s face “Not… about that?”

“God, not this time” Seth laughed. He rested his head on Dean’s shoulder “Dean… do you… feel like there’s a connection between us all, like me and Ro? I mean it’s fine if not, because I know I’d happily be friends for the rest of-“

“Seth Rollins. I’m sorry, are you… trying to get me into yoga or something?” Dean asked, the frown deepening as he tried to work out what exactly he was trying to say, especially with Roman at his other shoulder. It was weird. He took a second longer, looking at Seth who was trying to work out how to phrase what he wanted to say “Wait, are you… asking me… out?”

“Actually, We’re asking you out” Roman corrected with a half-smile.

We.


	28. Those Nights

He had to be dreaming. 

Dean was definitely dreaming. That had to be it. He’d passed out at the barbecue and he’d wake up soon. He’d fallen asleep on Kevin’s couch and any moment now he was going to be woken up by Sami shaking him awake and telling him to take the bed in the spare room instead of the couch. Dreaming. That was all.

“Dean?” Roman asked softly, wrapping his arm around Dean’s waist. If this was a dream, it was a damn vivid one. Roman seemed perfectly real to him. He rested his hand on Dean’s hip, thumb stroking up and down gently “Are you in there, baby boy?”

Even in his dreams, Roman was concerned for him. 

“I’m fine!” Dean managed finally “Just, you know, working through the fact that my dreams are getting really good”

Seth let out a laugh and reached up to touch Dean’s face softly.

“Feel real yet?”

He leaned up to almost brush his lips against Dean’s, making him start slightly. He could definitely feel Seth’s breath and the warmth emanating from him. Dean swallowed sharply. Okay, so maybe not a dream. Seth pulled back, holding up his hands with a nervous look at Roman.

“No?”

“Hold on” Roman turned Dean’s head to face him, leaning in to press his forehead against Dean’s. His hair fell like a curtain, blocking out the room like it was just the two of him. He might have believed it was if it wasn’t for Seth still pressed against his other side like a blanket of warmth “Hey… babe, you need to give us an okay, if you’re not about this, it’s not something we ever need to do”

It hit him like a truck that Roman was asking for permission for them to keep going. It wasn’t something Dean had ever actually considered happening to him. He’d never had someone that would ask permission to kiss him or back off when he retracted. Maybe he just didn’t think he was deserving of this kind of love. 

“I don’t know,” Dean replied softly, his voice wavering like he was on the edge of tears “I… think that I want this but I don’t know how to want something without making a mess of it”

“That's okay, Dean, you need time to find what works for you… we understand” Roman nodded and pulled away. Dean blinked in confusion, unsure as to what any of this meant or what he was meant to do.

“Can we watch the bachelor?” Seth asked as he pulled Dean back against the sofa and snuggled against his side. It was a completely natural feeling to let Seth mould into the shape of his side and lean into Roman who wrapped his arm around them both as he fiddled with the remote control. Nothing felt forced and he didn’t feel pushed to accept the affection, it just felt like another part of life.  
He had to find what worked for him. He’d never been sure what made him happy other than working and friends. He’d had a hollow place inside him for such a long time and he wasn’t sure how to fill it without doing too much all at once. When it came to love he was at such a disadvantage and he had to learn how to take it slow.

“We’re only watching the bachelor if you do the dishes” Dean muttered. Seth laughed and pressed his face against Dean’s side “For a literal hitman, you’re a softie”

“Shut up” Seth muttered as he grabbed a pillow to hit Dean with. Roman caught the pillow before it could his Dean, chuckling to himself. Seth pouted and folded his arms “No fair, come on Ro”

 

“No fighting, got it?”  
Roman leant over the top of Dean to press a Kiss against Seth’s forehead, passing him back the pillow as he did so. Dean’s eyes widened and he nearly choked on the softness of it all. Seth huffed a sigh and leaned his head up to actually kiss Roman back. It was a gentle kiss that broke quickly and Seth returned to Dean’s side, smiling to himself like the cat who got the cream.

It took Dean a second to stop himself from staring, reminding himself that it was the opposite of helpful to keep staring at the people he was in love with when he was supposed to be working out all the confusing feelings inside of him.

“Y’know what? I’m really tired, I’m gonna take Scout a walk before I head to bed” Dean mumbled, working his way out from under the other two “It’s not fair on her being stuck inside today”

Scout lifted her head lazily from her doggy bed and looked up at Dean at the word walk. She blinked a long slow blink before getting up to trot after him. 

“Dean, she’s fine-“

“Nah, we’re due for a big long walk, ain’t we princess” 

Scout yipped in return and Dean grabbed her lead. He tuned out Roman and Seth’s arguments before heading out the door with his dog in tow.

*

She seemed to pick up on Dean’s emotional turmoil, hardly pulling at her lead in excitement like she usually did, and stuck close to him as they made their way down the road. She growled at every passing car and pedestrian as if to tell them to back off from Dean or else. It was fine by him, he didn’t mind the horrified looks thrown his way. He just wanted to be left alone to walk his dog in the last of the evening sun.

They ended up at the park before he knew it, Scout sniffing her way around perfectly pruned flowerbeds. He’d cut through this park so many times as a kid making the run from the Flair’s mansion to Regal’s before his mentor made it home. It had always provided a much-needed reset for his brain and it still seemed to work his magic.

He watched as the sun began to take a steep dive down over the treeline. Red and pink streaked the skies. Things were going to be better, that much he could figure out. He’d never considered a future for himself. Every job was as good as his last and now with no more jobs, the concept of living beyond it all was something he was struggling to grasp.

He sat himself down on a bench, letting out Scout’s lead so she could roll around in the grass behind him. He angled himself to watch her rub her face against the grass in excitement and run until the slack in her lead caught up with her and she came hurtling back to Dean again and again. 

Dean was sure he loved them, though. So sure it that it made his stomach twist and his heart race every time he thought about them. He’d never want to fall in love with anyone since Callihan but Roman and Seth made it so simple to love them. It felt like finding heaven. 

Scout began to tug at the lead and giving him longing looks. He got up to continue walking, Scout’s never-ending energy seeming to keep them moving at a relentless pace now. But, eventually, she managed to tire herself out, plodding over to Dean to rub her head against his leg gently. He leaned down to pat her head softly, watching as her eyes began to shut. He took a deep breath. 

“Come on, princess let’s get going home”

“Aw, how sweet, finally he takes me home” A singsongy voice called from behind a tree. Dean whipped his head up to watch as Sami Callihan stepped towards him with a sick smile, practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he approached.

“I don’t have the money, drugs, alcohol level or the time to deal with you” Dean grumbled, the face of his former friend souring his mood. He pulled Scout’s lead tight to hold her steady as she growled at the new figure. He shoved his hand into his pocket to find his knife, only to come up empty “Move on, kiddo”

Sami seemed to consider Dean for a minute, tilting his head to the side as his smile dropped. For a moment he seemed like he felt something other than pure distilled disdain for him. The smile appeared back, but when he opened his mouth, his tone had changed “It’s fine, I just wanna talk… let's walk”

He gestured for Dean to follow him. 

God. Dean couldn’t resist a mystery.

He unclipped Scouts lead. The dog looked at him with a quizzical expression.

“C’mon, Scout” He muttered before falling into step beside Sami. Scout followed, holding close to Dean as they walked down the main path. He took one last look at her before glancing at Sami “What do you want?”

“To talk, Jesus fuck you’re still the densest fucker on the planet, ain’t you?” Sami muttered.

“And I still want to kick the shit out of you, don’t I?” Dean hit back and Sami laughed. It was a proper laugh as opposed to a nasty sounding forced one “What do you want to talk about then?”

“You feeling okay? Heard about the new hip piercing you got courtesy of Helmsley”

“I’m fine, better than ever actually” Dean replied, his hand falling out of his pocket to rub across his hip as a reflex. It didn’t hurt really unless he thought about it or pushed himself too much. Doctor said he’d probably feel it the rest of his life mentally “It’s nothing though, not in terms of everything, was worth it compared to what could have happened”

“Yeah… I guess” Sami scratched at his beard. Dean could feel something under his demeanour, as if he was a wave about to break on the shore “Helmsley was kinda a dick, huh? Must have been worth it to finally kill him”

There’d been small trickles of information coming from the Fatales to all the still-standing criminal in the city. They had attempted to keep Hunter’s disappearance quiet. Clearly, it was working as Sami hadn’t heard anything. People like Sami were the first to know anything.

Dean swallowed and shrugged “He got what was coming to him, sure”

“Feels better though, out here… right?”

“Yeah, I guess” Dean answered. Sami’s whole vibe was putting him on edge like he was being led like a lamb to the slaughter by his former friend. Callihan could do anything to him and Dean wouldn’t be able to stop him. He finally gave in “What do you want, Sami? Seriously, why are you here”

Sami faltered mid-step and looked at Dean quickly before hanging his head in shame. It was a completely different Sami. He looked younger in the last rays of the sun and Dean could almost believe they were kids again. 

“I wanted… I wanted to say that I’m sorry” He said quietly. Dean frowned, staring at him as his shoulders slumped forward in defeat like he had nothing left in him “And you know I don’t say that too easy, Ambrose, but I know what I did and it was too much”

Sami couldn’t lift his gaze from the path in front of them. 

“What do you mean Sami? I don’t get what you-“

“I fed you that fucking USB knowing full well that Hunter had tracking on it, knew full well Nikki would crack it, I knew full well he was watching you as you ran for cover to another safe house, I knew everything and didn’t tell you anythin’ because I’m a shit fuck coward when it comes to you!” 

“Sami, I…”

“I was watching, Dean! I watched them and I watched you until it was too late for me to do anything!” He was crying now, voice a rough howl of pain that made Scout cower back beside Dean as he stopped walking “I didn’t think you would trust me, I really thought I was as good as dead to you… if you had just stopped trusting me he wouldn’t have known about where you were or what you were doing”

Sami had known. Dean let out a breath of air, considering the man who had turned towards him. The tears streaming down his face were enough to make Dean feel legitimate worry for him. He had to remind himself that just because he was crying, it didn’t make anything safe. Dean knew better than to approach a wounded animal without caution. 

“Sami, I need you to calm down, yeah?”

“Fuck you and your calm downs, Ambrose, I could have killed you! So fucking punch me, please” He took a step forward, flinging his arms out wide like a martyr on a cross. It was, in a way, almost threatening in its own disarming way to Dean and he took a step back “I am the reason for every hell you’ve been through and you don’t have the balls to kick the shit out of me!”

They stood and stared at each other. Sami seemed to have lost all the wind in his sails and Dean could do nothing but stare at him as the tears dripped down his face.

“It’s… fine, Sami” Dean said slowly, holding his hands up in a half calming, half defensive motion “If I was you… I might have done the same and I might be doing what you’re doing now but my fucking god, I really do believe in second chances now, Sami”

“I’ve used up my chances!” Sami argued, his hands balling and stretching out rapidly as he fought to keep his any of his rapidly deteriorating composure “I let you get fucked up so many times, Dean, why can’t you hate me?”

“Third chances then, for fuck sake, Sami, I don’t want to hurt you” He took a step towards him, Scout keeping close to his legs “I did hate you, Sami, but… not anymore, so please, just chill the fuck out”

He seemed to take it as good enough, head dipping low as he attempted to compose himself. Callihan took a deep breath, attempting to steady himself at Dean’s insistence. His shoulders rolled back and he cracked his neck, still sniffling slightly. The slightly crooked smile ghosted back onto his face. There was the Sami Dean was familiar with. 

“Better?”

“Yeah” He answered shortly. Callihan seemed lighter as he looked at Dean “What d’ya say, doll, can you accept my apology?”

“Yeah, Sami, you… deserve the second chance” He said quietly.

Sami lit up at his words, his whole being seemed to become something else entirely. Lighter, maybe. He looked happy.

“I could kiss you,” Sami said with a chuckle. He reached up to wipe his eyes with the back of his hand.

“I’d prefer it if you didn’t, I’m kinda… savin’ myself”

“That’s why I said could, sweetheart, you’re the last one I want near these lips” He ran a hand through his hair. Dean chuckled and bent down to clip Scout’s lead on, at peace with the fact that she wasn’t going to need to run. Sami turned around to keep walking down the path and Dean followed “First time I ever heard of you saving yourself for shit though, Deano”

“Things changed, Callihan, we’re big boys now”

“Tell me about it” He chuckled and glanced at Dean with a smile “Who do you have your eye on, then? I gotta know them, I fucking know everyone in this goddamn town, don’t I?”

“Maybe”

“Don’t be an ass, catch me up on your life, Ambrose”

“Then catch me up on yours” He retorted. Sami gave him puppy dog eyes, pouting “fine, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins?” 

“Two outta three of Cerberus, ain’t they? Nice, you do really pick em don’t you”

“How the fuck do you know that”

“Sources, brother” Sami laughed and tapped his nose “Plus, Rollins has been using that bullcrap Black name for years apparently, and you know how it is when you hear whisperin’ from the boys and girls in the scene who’re already shit scared of the three-headed dog"

“Yeah, I sure do… now spill”

Sami shoved his hands in his pockets with a laugh “Let’s just say, I made a couple of bad decisions and kissed the wrong people’s asses and it didn’t work out too great”

Dean nodded. It was the understatement of the year but it made sense. They approached the park gates together and Sami’s walk slowed to a crawl. Dean was hit by the sudden realisation that Sami didn’t want to leave and was slowing them down as much as he could.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

Sami closed his eyes and nodded. 

“I was going to… after the USB… I thought I would be able to get away before… but I left it too long and then I-” He paused, looking at Dean with a small smile “I realised that I made a lot of bad decisions”

“You had to, I know what it’s like”

“Nah… I was just a coward” Sami shrugged as he turned towards Dean “But that’s okay… It’s going to be different and this time… when I leave, it’s not going to be ‘cause I’m scared of the truth”

“I… I’m always gonna be sorry for not making sure you were okay and for not keeping you out of trouble”

“It wasn’t your job, Dean”

“Then I’m sorry nobody made it theirs”

There was a silence as the two of them looked at each other. They were two boys who were suddenly men. Forced to grow up faster than they needed to but they had made it. To make it this far and to still be alive was an achievement. To make it this far and come face to face as friends was monumental. 

“We’re not going to hug” Sami assured him.

“Thank god” Dean muttered with the smallest glimmer of a smile.

“I always hoped we’d never be sappy”

And with that Sami took a step back, glanced over his shoulder and walked away from Dean, out into the street.

Dean watched him go until he was nothing more than a dark figure regressing into the night. He felt a small part of him go with him. The hate he clung to for so much of his life was gone but so was his first friend. He couldn't tell if the feeling was good or bad, only that something had changed deep within him. He'd looked his past square in the eye and walked away with nothing to show for it but the memory of a sharp smile.

But maybe things were different enough.

*

“Hey” Dean mumbled quietly as he walked in through the door, leaning down to let Scout go free. The dog plodded her way to her bed and lay down with a huff. Seth and Roman looked up from where they were curled together on the couch, Seth’s head on Roman’s lap as he watched TV while scrolling through his phone.

Seth sat up and shifted over, patting the gap between the two men. Dean shrugged his jacket off and threw it over the railing of the stairs before making his way over to nestle between the two. He closed his eyes and nestled against Roman. Roman wrapped an arm around his shoulders, testing the waters with him as he tried to warm him up. 

“Good walk?” Roman asked.

“Mhm,” Dean sighed. He reached for Seth’s hand, linking their hands together tightly “I saw Sami”

“Oh! Was he out with River? I thought he'd still be at the BBQ, why didn't you invite him back?” Seth inquired with a half-smile “Seriously, I doubt Kevin and him ever get time inside with that kid, she’s constantly out”

“Wrong Sami” He mumbled in reply. Roman’s arm tensed around him and Seth’s smile immediately dropped. It was like he’d just told them he’d killed someone “It’s fine, really, I just thought you should know”

“You should have called us! He’s crazy, Dean!” Seth argued, squeezing his hand tightly “You could have been hurt, babe, anything could have happened”

“Don’t call him that, please, Seth… it’s not fair, okay?” Dean said quietly. He didn’t want to argue because technically he was right. Anything could have happened. Sami could have easily hurt him if he wanted to. Dean was sure that he would have put up a fight, but he’d been unarmed and trying to keep a hold of Scout. He was just very lucky. 

“But-“

“Seth, listen to Dean, he’s okay, isn’t he?” Roman chided “Dean, how did it go?”

“Good actually… He, uh, really helped me work through some stuff” He admitted, letting go of Seth’s hand to rub the back of his neck nervously “He’s leaving and I guess I’ll never see him again but… we did what we had to and… I get it now… everything makes sense”

“Get it?”

Dean took a deep breath.

“I think… I know what I want now”

“Which is?” Seth asked, a note of fear creeping into his voice as he stared at him with wide eyes.

Dean laughed and grabbed Seth’s hand, settling back against Dean with a small smile. He lifted Seth’s hand, tugging it flat against his chest as he looked to Roman.

“Both of you”

It was dreamlike as Roman leaned down to kiss him, lips melting together as if they had always belonged like that. He could swear his heart just about left his chest as they found their rhythm. Seth’s hand crept up to under his chin, directing him away from Roman so he could kiss him. It was heaven as they kissed, exploring new territories together. Roman pressed kisses to the back of his neck, humming softly. 

He pulled away, nuzzling against Roman’s jawline.

“I love you both”

“Love the both of you too, baby”

“I love you both more and you can fight me on that point” Seth muttered, shifting his way into Dean's lap. He wrapped his arms around Seth's waist, revelling in the feeling of having him.

For what seemed like the first time in years, Dean felt like he was finally himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm gonna leave all the soppy thank yous to the last chapter so I'm just dropping a little note to say that the last chapter will be out, true to form, this Wednesday and I can't wait to share it <3


	29. New Skin

The sky was blue, the sun shining brightly down on the garden as the flowers bloomed on either side of the seating areas. 

Becky fidgeted nervously with a strand of hair that corkscrewed its way down the side of her face. She stood under a white latticed altar decorated in red roses dressed in a floor-length dark grey dress with an open back decorated with intricate lace and small crystals. She glanced at the guys assembled by her side, dressed in dark grey suits with dark red ties. Dean, Roman, Seth and Finn stood closest to her, and at the other Sanity congregated. They’d been persuaded into wearing actual suits and they looked relatively well put together. It was all Roman’s handiwork, Dean had to admit. He’d convinced them that it was worth it, if not just to match with Nikki.

“Fix yer bloody hair, Ambrose, ye look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards”

“Yeah, alright mom, give me a second” He grumbled but attempted to flatten his hair. He felt another pair of hands brush the curls of hair down and looked to his right to meet Roman’s eyes. It was as is Roman couldn’t help but crack a smile before looking away. Dean could feel himself blush and turned back to complaining “I feel like a fuckin’ doll”

“You look good” Seth muttered under his breath in Dean’s ear. His voice dipped low “Though... when we get home…”

“Keep it in yer pants, Rollins!” Finn begged, pulling a face. It was enough to send the small group into hysterics, Becky reached over to slap him over the back of the head good-naturedly.

“Shut up, all of ye! I swear to god yer gonna make us look like a bunch of common criminals”

Dean bit down on his lower lip to stop himself from laughing and looked out towards the assembled crowd. 

There were Trish and Lita, both in dresses, linking hands in the front row furthest from the group of boys. A seat beside them lay empty. Then Regal, Steve and Shawn sat closest to them, Regal in some overly fancy suit and Shawn doing his best to outdo him through luridly coloured shoes. Steve was the only one of the trio who was wearing a normal suit. He smiled at Becky with something like a parent’s love.

No, it was a parent’s love. Dean was not about to undersell the passion that every one of their mentors had for them. It had become abundantly clear that the years of separation didn’t lessen the bonds between them.

Behind the mentors came Aleister and Velveteen, poised like fashionable cats. Control suited them. The city ran so much smoother with the two of them at the helm.

With them, Johnny and Candice. 

They’d convinced them that it was all over for them and the pair seemed happier without Ciampa. He was… somewhere. Dean didn’t pry but he had a feeling the ruthless manipulator would be skulking at the edges of Johnny’s life for the rest of time.

Sami and Kevin sat at the back with Jimmy Uso and Sasha Banks, watching the group at the front with a smile and a soft scowl respectively.

Dean knew then, that every single person in the garden was part of his family. It wasn’t the most perfect family and they certainly didn’t always get along, but they had found each other. It was the only family Dean had ever known and it was the only one he wanted.

“Dean? You okay, baby?” Roman asked softly, nudging his side. Dean opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the sound of the band starting to play.

Charlotte was radiant as she walked down the aisle, holding onto her dad’s arm. Her dress was simple and beautiful like Becky’s, the only difference was that Charlotte’s dress trailed out behind her. Her blonde hair was bundled up in curls and she clutched a bouquet of dark red roses in her free hand. In front of her, Nikki, in a dark wine-red dress with her hair tucked behind her ears, walked in front of Charlotte with a smile plastered on her face. She was holding River’s hand as the young girl threw handfuls of red rose petals on the floor with an action Dean could only describe as vigorous and excited. The girl looked towards Dean, sticking out her tongue and he couldn’t help but stick his tongue out in return. Behind Charlotte and her dad, Bayley and Naomi in red, smiling brighter than Dean had ever seen in his life.

“Oh Jesus, Mary an’ Joseph” Becky murmured breathlessly “Fellas, please tell me yer all seein’ an angel”

Dean could feel the prick of tears as Charlotte reached the little altar, turning to hug her dad tightly before turning to her fiancé. Ric took his seat beside Lita and Trish, patting at his eyes with a handkerchief. 

“Hello, darling” Charlotte said quietly as she smiled at her awestruck girlfriend. She reached over to tuck a long strand of ginger behind Becky’s ear “You’re beautiful”

“Says you… picture perfect, Charlotte Flair, picture fuckin perfect”

Behind them, the officiant coughed politely and Charlotte and Becky turned their heads towards him in unison. 

“Are you ready to proceed?”

“On y’go, fella, sorry fer keeping you” Becky chuckled and turned back to stare at Charlotte with a content smile.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here to say to witness the union of Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair, the couple will now exchange their vows”

Dean reached into his pocket to run his thumb over the velvety box the rings were kept in.

“Char’, Charlie… I knew from the minute I saw you at that first party that Steve dragged me to that I loved you, I knew from the minute you took my hand an’ took me outside t’ chuck big fuck off stones in the fountain for fun and you laughed when I dented the statue that I would drag mysel’ through hell and back t’ keep you safe. I told myself every night that we’d make it out of there alive” She took Charlotte’s hands, squeezing gently “And I was right. We moved heaven an’ hell for each other to stand here today. It’s been so long, baby but we made it and I lived every day for you. So, Charlotte Flair, my first love, my queen, my angel… I love you and I will always love you from the bottom of my heart. This is a forever deal”

Dean reached up to wipe a small tear from his cheek as he chuckled. He could see Trish and Lita dabbing at their eyes in the front row and Ric and Steve were obviously fighting off their own tears. He took his hand from his pocket where he was fidgeting to intertwine his pinkies with Roman and Seth. 

“Becky Lynch, every day you wake up and smile at me is another day I get to see heaven” Charlotte began, trying to keep herself composed as she spoke. Becky was already sniffling happy tears, hands tight around each Charlotte’s as she tried to keep it together “You made me feel safe when the world was changing around us. Even when it was hardest, and we were… minutes away from some disaster, I knew I’d be fine because you were there. Without you, I don’t know if I’d be the same woman I am today. You complete me, Becky. From every smile to every beat of my heart, you’re my soul mate and I will love you for… forever”

“And so, do you, Becky Lynch, take Charlotte Flair to be your lawful wedded wife, to love and to hold for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do”

“And do you, Charlotte Flair, take Becky Lynch to be your lawful wedded wife, to love and hold for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do”

The officiant nodded for Dean to step forward. He fished in his pocket for the rings and flipped open the box. He placed the first on Becky’s palm and she carefully slipped it onto Charlotte’s ring finger.

“You are the love of my life, my best friend and I promise all of my tomorrows to you”

Dean placed the next on Charlotte’s hand and she slid it onto Becky’s finger. He couldn’t help the smile that he cracked at the sight of the two best friends he’d ever had. Charlotte repeated the phrase back to Becky with a smile.

“So, by the power invested in me, I pronounce you married, you may now kiss the bride”

A cheer went up as Becky and Charlotte kissed, the two throwing their arms around each other as they stood in the altar. Dean backed away against his boyfriends as he watched them. Roman wrapped an arm around his waist and Seth reached for his hand, linking their pinkies together. He wiped at his eyes as his best friends broke apart, Becky kissing Charlotte’s nose before turning to the guests.

“Now, in the family tradition of my mentor, Steve Austin, let’s go party!” Becky announced with a grin. A laugh went up from the crowd. She knew how to win them all over.

*

They had asked Dean to speak.

Becky Lynch had looked at him, dead in the eye, and seriously asked him to speak at their wedding. He almost had said no. He didn’t want to ruin their wedding in any capacity. It was already freaking him out that he had to be responsible for their rings never mind speaking in front of a crowd of their friends and family.

He was still beyond nervous despite the encouragement he’d had from his friends and boyfriends as he stood up in front of the now larger reception crowd. They’d moved inside to one of the large rooms in the Flair mansion, the place dotted with tables and full of laughter. It was a room filled mostly with Fatales and his own family but it was still terrifying.

“So, uh, welcome to the wedding I was 100% sure was never going to happen. I don’t think we’ve had a non-busy day since we were 15, so I just assumed there’d be a scheduling conflict along the line and we’d never get here” He started, drawing a few chuckles from the crowd. Under the table, Roman touched his knee gently in encouragement and it was enough to bolster his confidence to continue “So, as Char and Beck’s official third wheel, they asked me to make a speech, and I think I knew I’d be stuck to them with superglue for the rest of my life so I should have expected this. Although, the first time I met them, I was so sure I wasn’t going to like them because I wasn’t a part of this world. I wasn’t rich and I wasn’t anything all that impressive when I met them. I was just a little ratty kid William Regal decided had a spark. But I was wrong” 

He looked across the room to meet Regal’s stare. The man nodded with a small smile.

“Lucky for me Char wasn’t a stuck up brat, Char was the kinda girl who beat my ass in heels more times than I can count and threw me in fountains to prove points. She helped me find control and balance in my life when I didn’t think I had any. She dragged me and Becks out of police stations and bailed me out with her own allowance on more than one occasion because I didn’t want Regal or Austin to come and get me and Becky. Thanks, Char, my record would be marginally worse without you”

Charlotte groaned and shoved her head into her hands.

“And Becky Lynch wasn’t the rich kid’s friend. Becky was honest and kind and endlessly amazing… Becky Lynch has saved my ass on more than one occasion, she’s stopped me from doing a lot of stupid stuff and she encouraged the best bits of me to grow and… Jesus I don’t mean to sound like a sappy guy but… Becky Lynch, I love you. And I love you too Charlotte. And there are no other people in the world who deserve a day like this than you two”

He sat down to applause and was pulled in tightly for a hug by Seth.

“Good job, babe,” He said quietly. He gave his hand a quick squeeze under the table and smiled “Told you that you’d blow it out of the water”

“Only cause if I didn’t, Becks would kill me”

Roman laughed and laid a hand on his thigh “Yeah, but you made it look easy”

For the first dance, the garden had been transformed with a tent covered in fairy lights with a dance floor inside. They had clusters of chairs and a bar bet up. It was beautiful and watching Charlotte and Becky walk across the floor to take up position for their first dance as a married couple was a magical experience. Music drifted from the band dreamily and for a minute it looked like the couple was floating across the shining wood.

People started to flood onto the dance floor from the sides. He watched as River tugged along both of her dads onto the floor with an infectious giggle. Finn pulled Seth up to dance and Dean was only too happy to go with Roman. He leant his head on Roman’s shoulder, watching Finn and Seth as they swayed in time to the music.

“You keeping an eye on them?” Roman asked with a laugh. Dean snorted “Just because he flirts with you doesn’t mean he’s got a thing for you, Finn’s just like that sometimes, but the last thing he’d want to do is break us all up”

“Just watchin’ were he’s putting his hands because I can and will start a fight” Dean grinned.

“Babe, trust me, I think if anything happened, Seth would be the one starting a fight”

Dean sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing against Roman as they spun around. He was right. Roman was usually right. Roman rested his hand on the small of Dean’s back, a comfy heavy pressure settling there. It was the most comfortable Dean had been in weeks. Roman hummed along to the music as they went and Dean could feel his heart melting. He opened his eyes to look at Roman with a smile. Roman frowned.

“What?”

“Nothin’, I just realise how much I love you every time you do something”

Roman’s frown twitched into a smile.

“Dean Ambrose, do you know I love you more every time you open your damn mouth?”

He leant in to kiss Dean as the song ended. Holding him close as they fell into each other. There was something inside Dean that seemed to grow every time Seth or Roman touched him. He swore that when they kissed, he felt like whatever it was would consume him. He was 100% okay with it consuming him.

When they broke apart, Dean headed to the bar to grab drinks for their group and bring it back to their table. He had only been sitting for a second before Seth joined him, pulling his chair close to snuggle up to him. He reached out a hand to grab a drink and gave Dean a kiss in thanks.

“Finn’s dancing with Velveteen” He commented before taking a sip of his drink “Aleister’s been cornered by Candice and Johnny so Velveteen was of course, bored”

“Where’s ‘Ro?”

“Talkin’ to Ric and Shawn, or more accurately, Shawn is talking at them both while they stare in horror, I barely escaped with my life”

Together, they watched the ebb and flow of people onto the dancefloor. Somehow Nikki persuaded Regal to dance and Dean nearly choked on his drink as his mentor was dragged around by a whirling dervish. It was made all the better by the fact that Regal was laughing and going along with it. Nikki’s enthusiasm was clearly infectious. Dean hadn’t seen his mentor that happy in a long time. He had the urge to ask him to colour how he was feeling and smiled to himself. 

“Look at him! He’s like an actual human” Dean laughed as Nikki spun past him with his mentor in tow. Regal caught his eye as he moved and shot him a cold look. Dean rolled his eyes “Almost a real human, almost”

“Hey, at least he’s trying” Seth chuckled and leant his head on Dean’s shoulder “I mean, he’s either wasted or Nikki’s just that good”

“Nah, no matter how much Regal drinks, he’s never that happy” Dean grumbled and threw back the rest of his drink “It’s the Nikki effect, my little sister could melt the coldest hearts”

“Yeah, she melted yours!”

“Hey!” Dean grumbled and raised his shoulder to jostle Seth’s head. The other man pouted “My heart’s not that cold and you know it”

“Yeah sure, but I love you and I love your chilly little heart”

“Love you too, dumbass” Dean laughed. He paused and glanced across the dancefloor where he could see Roman starting to leave his body as Shawn talked. It seemed like Ric had escaped from the conversation, probably pulled away to meet some other acquaintance of his daughters, and left poor Roman to fend for himself against the Flair patriarch “We should go rescue him, right?”

“Let’s go” Seth chuckled and hauled Dean up to his feet with him. They crossed the floor and Roman’s face seemed to light up when he spotted them. Dean took a deep breath, preparing for Shawn’s onslaught.

Seth let go of Dean’s hand to wrap an arm around Roman’s shoulders, leaning up to kiss him. Dean nodded to Shawn with a half-smile.

“Dean! I was just talking to your friend about-“

“Boyfriend” Dean corrected with a half-laugh. Shawn’s brows creased for a moment as he looked between the three “Shawn, don’t make that face, that’s the face that Regal’s gonna make-”

“Oh, you won’t need to tell him, kiddo, you’re not making it too much of a secret, I was just confirming” Shawn deadpanned as he motioned to Roman who was trying to maintain his composure as Seth mumbled something in his ear. Shawn sipped his drink “I’ll correct myself, I was telling your boyfriend about that time that I had to come and get you and Becky from some kid’s house party because Charlotte had been picked up by her dad”

“You were a rebellious teen?” Roman asked sarcastically, his eyebrows raised “I’m shocked”

Dean was about to hit back when he felt someone touch his shoulder. He jumped slightly and turned to face William Regal.

“Can we have a moment?”

*

Outside of the wedding tent, the garden was quiet and covered in little lights that made the place look like it was dotted with fireflies. Most people were still in the tent or had migrated into the house to seek refuge in the warmth so it was relatively empty. Regal and Dean walked down the perfectly placed stone slabs of the path towards the neatly planted rows flowers in silence. Regal was a few steps ahead of him, humming to himself as they approached the small stream at the bottom of the garden.

His mentor nodded to the garden bench and took a seat, patting the space beside him with two precise taps. Dean threw himself down, slumping down in the seat, his gaze fixed on the small trickling water feature in front of them.

“I believe some congratulations are in order” Regal rubbed his hands together, leaning back and stretching his legs out in front of himself “Your speech was… passable”

Dean was almost taken aback until he looked up from the stream to his mentor’s smiling face. Regal was joking. It took Dean completely by surprise and all he could do was blink and settle for folding his arms.

“You’re a horrible man” Dean grumbled, trying not to laugh.

“Ah, you got me, I’m deplorable” Regal chuckled and cracked his fingers “I was wondering if you’d given any thought to Shawn and I’s proposition? I could do with the help and my senses aren’t entirely what they used to be, of course, you would be prime to take over”

“You’re not that old, calm down Dracula, you’re gonna be stealing priceless artefacts for years to come” Dean rolled his eyes and aimed a kick at a small pebble that went careening down the dirt slope into the little trickle of water with a small splash “But I have thought ‘bout it”

“And?”

The question hung in the air for a moment as Dean thought.

With Regal… he’d have his dad again. He’d have the family he was promised. He’d live life as a person with no ties to bloody territory wars and would have a brand new start in a brand new country. Maybe he’d finally travel the world with Regal.

Or maybe he was an adult.

He had everything here. A family, as messy and confusing as it was, that he’d made himself and two men who loved him more than anything in the world who he loved just as much. There was the promise of a new job alongside them and his best friends as well. It was the kind of life Dean could only have dreamed of as a kid.

“I’m gonna have to turn it down”

“I had guessed so… you seem to have it quite made here, Dean”

“It’s not because I don’t want to, because I’d love to fuck around in Europe for the rest of my life, it’s because-“

“You’re in a relationship with both Reigns and Rollins, am I correct?” Dean turned his head to the side, a small smile playing on his face as he looked at his mentor. Regal was staring at the water. He looked deep in thought “Subtlety with emotions never truly was your skill, even as a kid I always knew exactly when you were upset”

Dean shrugged. He repressed everything as a kid but as soon as Regal took him in, he realised he didn’t have to hide everything. It was a blessing when it came to his mentor. One shitty day would find Regal marching into his room and dumping some of Dean’s favourite things onto the bed before leaving without a word. Dean was always thankful he didn’t make him talk it out unless he wanted to.

He loved Regal with his whole heart for everything he did for him.

“Thank you”

“Dean, what are you thanking me for?”

“Everything I guess, I don’t think I would be here today if you weren’t my dad”

“I don’t think I would be the man I am today if you weren’t my kid”

Dean looked down at his feet, kicking another stone towards the water. It rolled in this time, rather than making a big splash. He didn’t feel the need to rally another. It was enough this time.

“So… do I have your blessing?” Dean asked with a small chuckle “Or are you going to interrogate Roman and Seth until you discover some weird obscure thing about them that could potentially ruin everything?”

“Oh, don’t worry, I did all their background checks when I worked out that Becky would be hiring them, I only faintly remembered Seth and Roman was nothing but an all-star” He tapped his nose and stood up. He seemed lighter almost, taller in the moonlight “Now, let’s get back the party, I’m not getting any younger and Shawn promised me a whiskey or three”

Dean stood, brushed down his suit jacket, and went back to the party.

Dean went back to his new reality, his new partners and his new family. He had a feeling after the night that he wouldn’t see Regal much, his Regal would return to England with Steve and Shawn and Dean would stay right where he was happiest. And it was okay. Because they had become vastly different people with vastly different needs. Family, but different.

Roman motioned for Dean to join them at the table and Dean happily folded into his side, listening to Finn, Becky and Charlotte talk about life, the universe and everything else. Nikki popped up from under the table and Killian, Eric and Alexander were soon to follow, dragging over seats to join the table of friends. Seth dropped into the seat beside him and kissed Dean’s cheek as he settled in, passing drinks out to the rest of the table. 

Becky reached for hers, holding it up.

“To us, the utter idiots that had the fortune of finding each other”

They raised their glasses with grins.

“To us!”

Dean Ambrose had finally caught up with life. And there was no chance that it would leave him behind this time.

He would be the living proof that thieves got happy endings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I'm not gonna pretend I didn't cry a little when I wrote this or when I copy-pasted this final chapter in from word. This story really was a massive adventured for me and I can't tell you all how thankful I am for you all indulging me in this silly little AU and sticking with me while it became.. well a big AU. Exploring this has been an amazing experience and writing relationships, whether it was friendships like Nikki and Dean or the eventual romance this all built to for Roman, Seth and Dean, was such a rewarding experience. Building up these vastly different characters like Regal and Hunter and contrasting them with the 'younger generations' was such an amazing experience.
> 
> I hate to be dramatic (no I don't) but this was such a labour of love for me and now at the end of it all I just want to say thank you. Thank you for reading this and supporting it through the last few months if you've been here since the beginning and thank you if you've just caught up. Every one of your kudos and comments have meant so much to me and they really did bring a smile to my face even when I felt too overwhelmed to answer. Every moment of this, from sitting down to write it, to reading feedback has been an experience I’ll never forget.
> 
> I’m gonna stop spewing out all my thank yous and soppy stuff about this story and go write whatever comes next which is totally not another self-indulgent AU. I promise. Maybe. 
> 
> But thank you.
> 
> Seriously.


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